Storms
by Paradoxing
Summary: Maya is a foster child with the ability to control the elements of nature. Her past was not a good one, but a new beginning might be what she needs. What will happen when she meets her neighbor and her older brother? Will he be what she needs, or will her past get in the way? NOT a typical TMI fanfic, but worth the read.
1. Moving

AN: Welcome to my first story _Storms_. I've had this story in my notes for a while now and multiple people have told me to publish it somewhere and this is the first place that came to mind. Before you start reading I want to inform you that this story does not include all Mortal Instruments characters. Some are made up and others are from the books. The descriptions of some characters may be changed in order to fit my vision. Again it's not your typical TMI fanfic, but it's worth the read.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Maya put the last box inside of the moving truck and sighed. She was definitely going to miss Florida, but she said that every time they moved. She glanced over at her adoptive brother, Jon, as he walked over.

"You ready?" He asked, putting an arm around her shoulder as he looked up at the house with her. Maya had come to live with him and his mom when she was seven. Jon had always just been her big brother and she'd always been his little sister, despite everything. They told each other everything, even the embarrassing things. He was the first person she came to when she learned about her powers. Maya was only twelve when she found out she could control the elements of nature. Jon was only thirteen at the time, so he only thought her powers were cool. She was surprised that he wasn't freaked out like she was, but they just swore not to tell anyone else, especially their mom. Ever since, Jon had never treated her differently. That acted just like any other siblings would. She looked up at him and weakly smiled, still silently crying to herself. Florida was great, but she wasn't going to start sobbing like the world was coming to an end. She felt moisture on her head and looked up at the dark clouds forming then cursed herself, knowing exactly what she was doing.

Jon sighed. "Maya," He hugged her to him, "the forecast called for sunny skies".

Maya sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Sorry." She looked up at the sky as her eyes sparked. The clouds slowly moved away and the sun started to shine back down on them. Jon smiled at her. "That's better." He always did love her powers.

She smiled back as their mom, Jocelyn, rounded the corner. "Oh. It looked like it was about to rain". She shrugged and smiled at them. "Ready to go?"

Maya and Jon both nodded and hopped into the U-Haul. Once they sat down, with her in the middle, Jon began twirling a piece of her brown hair around his fingers, obviously bored. She smacked his hands away and put her hair into a ponytail. He pouted as she laughed and ruffled his white blonde hair. His eyes widened. "Woah. Woah. Woah, not the hair!" He hurried to fix it and she rolled her eyes at him fluffing his hair back into place. His emerald green eyes glared down at her and she gave him the exact same look with her gray ones, accepting the challenge. Jon smiled first and looked out of the window.

Jocelyn looked over at them. "So, you guys are really going to like New York. The neighborhood is really nice and the school isn't on the beach, but it seems nice too. And I have a surprise for you two waiting there." They were both most likely tuning out the speech until she said that. Their eyes lit up like five year olds.

"Seriously?!" Maya screeched. Jocelyn smiled and nodded.

Jon checked his phone and groaned as she raised a brow. He showed her the phone screen and she saw that it was only 6:00. They still had twelve more hours to go. Maya groaned too and laid back. _Who's idea was it to drive there anyway_? She rested her head on Jon's shoulder and looked out at the road.

"Don't worry, you guys will make plenty of new friends." Jocelyn assured them.

Maya laughed internally. Jon was great at making new friends. Everywhere he went the people loved him, especially the girls. He was always the popular one and she was just his little sister. Some only wanted to be her friend because of Jon, because it was very hard to believe that most would want to be friends with a short, freckled, petite girl with anger issues. Every school they've gone to that was how it was, so she didn't expect this time to be any different. She liked to keep to herself most of the time anyway. There was nothing she loved more than nature, she controlled it so it would be weird if she didn't. She never used her powers to hurt people or to make herself feel better than others. She used them because it was a gift that was given to her and it would be a waste not to use them. She could control her powers, but sometimes her emotions got in the way. She never told anyone back in Florida about them because she didn't want anyone to look at her differently or to pay attention to her because of them. People should have liked her for her. Jon and Jocelyn always had.

Maya looked up at Jon, thinking about how he had always been the best big brother, a little overprotective, but it showed that he cared. She didn't know what it felt like to be cared for before she was adopted by the Frays. Even at sixteen, she was still adjusting to being a part of their family. Jon must have noticed her staring and ruffled her hair. "What?" he asked, raising a single brow.

Maya smiled. "Nothing. Just thank you, for everything."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Don't get all emotional on me. You know I hate crying and you already know I'll do anything for you, Tenshi." He bumped her shoulder and she smiled at the nickname. He'd been calling her that since they were kids. He rolled his eyes. "Now shut up so I can listen to my music." Maya punched him in the shoulder. He winced and put the earbud back in.

She put her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes. _It was going to be a long ride_.


	2. New York

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare

* * *

Maya woke up to someone shaking her shoulder. Yawning, she looked up at Jon and asked, "Where are we?"

He took his earbuds out and wrapped them around his shoulders. "Philadelphia, we'll be there soon"

Maya nodded just as he handed her a granola bar from the snack bag. She took a bite of the bar, stretched, then looked over at her mom.

"Doing okay?"

Jocelyn nodded. "I'm working on three redbulls and a coffee. There's no stopping now—unless I pass out." Maya chuckled and shook her head. Jocelyn was crazy, but she loved her. Jocelyn always said that Maya was the kind of daughter that she always wanted.

Jon chuckled. "Mom shouldn't you...take it easy?"

Jocelyn just gave him the finger Maya snorted and watched Jon frown as she took another bite of her bar, sitting back in the process. They had about an hour to kill. It was Saturday morning so they had the weekend to sleep and school on Monday.

 _Ugh, school_.

Jon would fit in of course, probably instantly become popular. Maya assumed that she would just be seen as his adopted little sister, but she didn't mind. As long as they didn't bother her.

She heard that was how most New Yorkers were anyway. After finishing her bar, she closed her eyes again. Her and New York would get along just fine.

.o.O.o.

"Tenshi, wake up. We're here." Maya woke up to Jon's voice and opened her eyes, squinting at the sun, which was way too bright for her liking. She moved a couple clouds in front of it and knew Jon noticed what she did. Every time she used her powers, her eyes got a lot brighter, practically silver.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Tenshi. Accept the sun." he smiled.

"The sun and I aren't on good terms right now." She mumbled. He chuckled and opened the door.

Maya followed him and looked up at their new house. It was amazing. The house looked to have three stories or more, enough room to fit at family of five. There was a place on the front yard for a little garden and a very tall tree stood between the their house and the neighbors. She was definitely designing that garden, whenever she got the chance. Maya smiled and looked up at Jon, trying to gauge his reaction. He seemed to just be taking everything in.

Their mom practically fell out of the car and went to her knees. "Land! Finally!"

"Jesus Christ, Mom! Please get up." Maya and Jon looked around for people watching, but no one seemed to be outside. She was being so loud and dramatic. That was Jocelyn for you, a child trapped in a woman's body.

She hopped off of the ground and turned to her and Jon, fumbling for her keys. "Ready for your surprises?" Maya bit back her smile and nodded, Jocelyn's gifts were always beyond amazing. The most recent gift she received was a grand piano. She had no idea how Jocelyn could top that, but she was curious to see her try. A moment later, Jocelyn pressed a button on her keys and the garage door slowly opened.

Maya looked at Jon and he shrugged, neither of them knowing what to expect. The door finally opened and she practically screamed. In front of them was . . .

"Mom, you got me a _Bentley_!" Jon picked his mother up and spun her in a circle. "Jon put me down dammit!" she screamed, but she was laughing.

Maya gaped at what her present was as she walked over and felt the seat and throttle. "Is . . . Is this a Ducati 1199 Panigale?" She asked in disbelief. Her mom laughed and nodded. It was a beautiful purple, not her favorite color, but it made the motorcycle look stunning. She had to sell her old bike a while ago, but for Jocelyn to buy her dream bike was beyond amazing.

Maya ran over to her and jumped on her. Jocelyn held her tight. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Maya jumped off of her and kissed her cheek.

She walked over to Jon in the front seat of his Bentley. "Dude, mom is the best."

He chuckled and started the car, it purred beautifully. He cut the engine and sat back.

Maya ran over to her purple motorcycle, grabbed her black helmet and examined it. _This was so cool._ She found a leather jacket draped across the seat. _God she loved mom_. She grabbed her jacket and went into the house with Jon.

They started upstairs and Jon picked his room at the end of the hall, hers across from his. They both went inside of their rooms. Most of their stuff had already been sent there. Their mom drove up last week with a friend to help her with the big items. Maya's walls were painted plain white , she had a white desk and chair, and her sheets were white. There was no mystery as to what her favorite color was.

Maya walked over to her window and looked out. It was parallel to someone else's, one of their neighbors she assumed. She saw a flash of blonde hair and backed away from the window quickly, swearing that her heart jumped a little. She shook her head and went back downstairs to unpack the rest of the stuff. They only had to unpack their clothes and decorations. Everything else was already there. So with that, she walked outside and grabbed a box. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl. She had long brown hair, a darker shade than hers, that reached halfway down her back. The closer she got Maya could see how pretty she was. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost black. She was wearing a pink skater skirt, a white shirt, and white shoes. The girl smiled enthusiastically at her. Maya set the box down and walked over to her.

"Hey! I'm Alexandria, but you can call me Alex. You must be our new neighbor!" the girl noted, "It's so nice to meet you. We are going to be great friends, I can just feel it." The girl, Alex, squealed and clapped her hands.

Maya just stared at her. She had never met someone so. . . enthusiastic, and to a stranger? She shook herself out of her daze and spoke. "Um Hi, I'm Maya. I just moved here with my mother and brother. And by the way love the outfit." Maya smiled at her, hoping that what she said sounded girly enough. She was just trying to be friendly and act more like a normal girl would.

"Oh My God! We have to go shopping sometime!" Maya opened her mouth to politely decline, but Alex beat her to it. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

Maya laughed. "Okay."

Alex squealed. "Okay, how about tomorrow?" Maya nodded reluctantly. Alex looked at her and smiled. "You should totally stay the night and we can go tomorrow. Get to know each other a little, being neighbors and all."

"I'll have to ask my mom first." Alex nodded and Maya turned towards her house. "Come on." Alex followed her inside.

"Mom!" Maya called from the front door. Jocelyn came running to the door. "What. What." She looked worried.

"Mom I'm fine. This is Alex, our neighbor. She was wondering if I could stay the night at her house tonight and go shopping tomorrow." Maya gave her puppy dog eyes, which she knew wasn't necessary.

Jocelyn smiled at Alex then looked back to Maya. "Of course you can sweetie. Just pack a bag. Nice to meet you Alex." With that she walked back into the kitchen. The truck was still not unloaded, but Jon could finish that. He was the so called "man" of the house.

Maya told Alex to wait downstairs while she quickly packed an overnight bag, grabbing clothes that were still in boxes. She got back downstairs in no time. They were just about to leave . . .

Jon walked downstairs just in time. _Great_. Maya sighed. "Alex, this is my idiot older brother Jon. Jon, this is our wonderful new neighbor Alex." Alex smiled at him and waved.

Jon waved back and scoffed at Maya. "Now Tenshi, is that any way to address your amazing brother?" She rolled her eyes and pulled Alex out of the house. "We're leaving!" Maya called over her shoulder.

"Have a nice time!" Jocelyn said. Maya smiled as Alex pulled her over to her house giggling.


	3. Alex's House

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Alex opened the door to her house and practically dragged Maya upstairs. She shut the door and pulled Maya over to the bed, her short legs tripping a little. Alex was tall, but everyone was tall when you were just a little above five feet. Maya cursed her genes for making her so short.

"Your brother seems nice." Alex seemed to want to make conversation.

Maya laughed. "I wouldn't go there if I were you."

She shook her head. "I'm not really into guys like that. The whole cocky thing. I'm more into the shy guys, that will treat you like a princess." Maya smiled at her and hoped that she found someone like that, but there was something in Alex's tone that suggested she wasn't all that interested in the subject.

"Okay enough about me. What about you? Got a boyfriend back at home?" She waggled her brows. Maya snorted, but Alex didn't seem to notice.

"Um . . . no not at all." Maya had never had anything close to a boyfriend.

"But you're so pretty!"

Maya laughed. "I'm pretty?" she said exasperated. "You're like not even trying and you look like a runway model."

Alex scoffed. "Shut up. You're pretty, and I would know." She smiled.

"So are you going to Lake View High?" she asked. Maya nodded and Alex squealed.

"You're a junior right?" Maya nodded again.

"OMG! Maybe we will have some of the same classes!" Alex's eyes sparkled, like her being in her class would be the best thing ever.

Maya smiled. "That would be great! It sucks being the new kid and Jon is always better at that kind of stuff. I mean look at him. He's so likable!"

Now she was beginning to sound frustrated. Alex sighed, "I know being the new kid sucks, but I'll be there with you, you know. We can eat lunch together too. And don't worry you'll make even more friends."

Maya sighed. "I just don't want to be known as just Jon's little sister yet again. I want people to see me as me. I'm always in Jon's shadow and sometimes it sucks."

Alex nodded and put a hand on Maya's shoulder. "I know what you mean. You want to be your own person and you will be. Just do you and don't worry about him. You're you and Jon is Jon."

Maya looked up at her and wiped a tear that she didn't even know was there. "Wow." she laughed. "When did you get all philosophical and shit?"

Alex laughed with her. "I can be serious at times, just don't tell anyone or you'll ruin my peppy image." Maya giggled and nodded.

"Your secret is safe with me." She smiled and laid back on her bed.

"You seem really cool. It's going to be good to have more real friends. Most of the girls at school are total bitches if you know what I mean. But if you find the right people, you'll be okay". Maya nodded, but it still wasn't going to be easy.

"Looks like I've already found one." Alex smiled brightly at her.

Maya subconsciously wiped her face again. "Oh hey, can I use your bathroom?"

Alex nodded. "It's the last door to the left." Maya nodded and made her way to the bathroom. As she passed a door, she heard the faint sound of a guitar, but brushed it off and opened the door to the bathroom. She gasped at her face. Her eyes were rimmed with a little red, her hair fell in big annoying curls around her face and back, and her shirt was wrinkled from the ride. _She looked horrible_.

After finding a comb, she combed her hair back into a long ponytail, splashed some cold water on her face and wiped it off with a towel. She glanced over at the bathroom window, seeing that there were a few plants that lined the window and it looked like they were dying. Not able to resist, she walked over to them and touched the pots. Her eyes sparked and the plants began to grow. She let go of the pots and looked back down. They were beautiful. She smiled to herself.

When Maya opened the door to the bathroom, she was still focused on the plants and didn't notice the figure in front of her. She crashed into a hard chest and gasped when she almost fell over. The person caught her by the shoulders to steady her.

"Woah there Midge. No need to throw yourself at me, even if I do look like _this."_ Maya was about to ask who the douchebag thought he was, but made the mistake of looking up. Her eyes drifted up to see a sly smirk attached to the most handsome face she had ever seen. His eyes were the perfect mixture of hazel and green. A mess of curly blonde hair spilled over his forehead. His facial features were sharp, looking as if they were chiseled by the man upstairs himself, and his muscles were prominent through his white t-shirt. She couldn't help, but examine his features. It was the artist part of her mind taking over. She couldn't help it.

Maya shook her head when she realized she was staring, like full on staring. "I...Um..." she trailed off not really knowing what to say.

His smirk grew. "Speechless I see, understandable when you see someone as good looking as me."

Maya snapped out of her daze as anger clouded her vision. Words couldn't describe how much she disliked people like him.

She walked up to him, her eyes just reaching his neck, making her have to look up. "First of all, my name is not 'Midge'. Second of all, you have no right to be such an ass to me, I don't even know you. And lastly, the whole cocky thing just makes you look like a complete idiot."

She clenched her fists, hearing a faint sound of thunder, and tried to control her breathing.

He looked a little taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "Feisty. I like it."

Maya looked back at him, the anger building. "Did you even listen to anything I just said!" The thunder cracked even louder and she saw a flash of lightning. _Dammit_. She needed to stop it. _She needed Jon_.

The guy grinned. "You're not being very lady-like."

Her fingers twitched to flip him off. "You can take your 'lady-like' crap and shove it up your-"

Maya heard a door open. "Hey did you find it okay . . ." Alex trailed off when she saw whoever he was talking to her and her clenched fists.

"God Kyle! Do you have to upset everyone you meet? One friend." Alex whined, "I just wanted one friend that you didn't infiltrate with your idiocy!" She looked over at Maya. "I'm so sorry about him. This is why I didn't tell you about him." Alex glared at her brother, Maya was assuming. They seemed to be arguing like siblings.

"It's fine." Maya grumbled out. She took a deep breath. Her phone rang and she fumbled for it before answering.

"Hello?" she didn't even check the caller I.D.

" _Maya_!" It was Jon and he sounded pissed.

"I'm sorry Jon." she whispered.

" _It's supposed to be sunny Tenshi! Who the hell pissed you off, because I swear to God..._ " He sounded angrier now which was not helping her situation.

"I'm fine Jon. I can fix it." Maya hung up before he could protest and turned back to Alex.

Alex smiled at her. "How about I order us a pizza?".

Maya nodded. "Sounds great".

She unclenched her fists and took another deep breath. "While I'm here, I advise that you stay away from me." She looked over to Kyle.

He put his hands up in surrender, as if he'd been doing nothing. "No problem short stuff". Maya heard another crack of thunder as she glared at him. As soon as he went downstairs, she looked outside as her eyes sparked and the clouds slowly returned to normal. She sighed and turned back to Alex's room.

She opened the door and smiled at Alex. She smiled back and said, "The pizza has been ordered."

Maya nodded and sat on the bed. Alex sighed. "Look I'm really sorry if my asshole of a brother hurt your feelings. He just has no filter whatsoever."

Maya shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm here for you. I'm not going to let him ruin it and I really don't like cocky people like him."

"Thank you so much for saying that! Most girls just want to be my friend because of him and it sucks because they end up hating me after he breaks their hearts."

Maya's eyes widened. "Wow the girls at your school are total bitches."

She laughed. "Yeah and the bimbos at school don't even seem to care that he's a manwhore and an asshole."

Maya shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I actually want to be your friend because you seem like a nice person, and don't forget that I met you first." Alex smiled at that, but for some reason, Maya didn't just let it go. Like of course he was an asshole, but there had to be a reason why he acted that way. There had to be something under the surface.

The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her bravado. Alex squealed. "Pizzas here!" She ran downstairs pulling Maya with her.

The pizza woman smiled at them when they opened the door. "That will be $11.95" Alex handed her fifteen dollars and told her to keep the change. The woman smiled even brighter and walked away. Alex pulled Maya to the living room and sat the pizza down on the table.

She turned on the TV. "What movie do you want to watch?" Maya looked as Alex scrolled through the movies.

"I love Clueless." she lied, but apparently it was popular. Alex smiled and clicked it. "Good choice."

The movie started and they each took a slice pizza.

.o.O.o.

Three more movies and two bags of popcorn later, Alex was officially knocked out. It was nearly midnight and Maya wasn't in the least bit tired. She slept practically the entire way there. After getting up and taking a blanket from the couch to put it over Alex, she decided to make herself some tea in order to fall asleep. It always seemed to work for her.

She got a bottle of water from the fridge and looked around in the cabinets, hoping that they had tea. A smile appeared on her face as she opened the cabinet on the left. They had a variety of teas and hot chocolates. She chose a chai tea, put the bag in a mug, poured the water inside of the mug then looked around. Alex was sleeping and no one else was around so she was in the clear. Holding out her hand with her palm facing the mug, she slowly made a fist. The water slowly began to boil and after another moment, she opened her hand again to grab her mug. She would never get tired of her powers.

Maya walked over to the other couch and sipped her tea. She had turned off the TV a while ago, so she was in peaceful silence.

Moments later she heard the sound of a guitar strumming. _Why is he awake_? Maya just shrugged. She recognized the song, it was one of her favorites and was surprised Kyle knew it. She had half the mind to go up there and get a better listen, but thought better of it.

She finished her tea, laid down on the couch, and fell asleep to the soft sounds of his guitar.


	4. Shopping Trip

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

When Maya woke up the next morning, she could hear the birds chirping and see the sun peeking through the white curtains. She pulled the covers off of her and furrowed her brows. She didn't remember getting cover. Maybe she sleep walks now.

She made her way up the stairs into the bathroom since that was the only bathroom that she knew of. Once inside, she pulled out her ponytail and brushed it out. She put her hair into two braids and pulled down the shirt that Alex lent her to sleep in.

Maya looked at her reflection. She looked like a child and not a sixteen year old girl. The light splattering of freckles across her nose and the childish braids didn't give off a mature appearance.

She took some mouth wash and swirled it around before spitting it out. She splashed some water in her face and took a deep breath. She looked over at the plants and smiled.

Maya opened the door and took one step only to knock into a hard chest. _Not again_. "Shit." She controlled her breathing and prepared herself for anything Kyle might say to piss her off.

"Oh Midge. We have to stop meeting like this." Kyle smiled down at her.

She glared at him. "I told you once that my name is not Midge."

"Well if you tell me your name we can replace it." He shrugged.

"That is not happening." Maya stood her ground.

"Well, Midge it is." He flicked one of her braids before going into the bathroom. She went to go back downstairs, but saw his bedroom door open and smiled wickedly.

Maya went into his room, which was surprisingly organized. _This was going to be fun_. She saw that his window was already open. _Great for her_.

She stood in the middle of his room, looked out of the window and held her arms out by her sides. She sucked in a sharp breath and the wind came blowing in. Maya laughed as the wind flew around Kyle's room, knocking papers and other things on the floor. She closed her eyes as the wind stopped, looked around at her masterpiece, and smiled.

When Maya walked out of Kyle's room, she saw that he was leaving the bathroom. She giggled and scurried past him to go downstairs.

When inside of the living room, she burst into fits of laughter. Alex was now up and raised a brow at her. "What—".

"Just wait for it". Maya put up one finger to signal for her to wait. Alex looked like she wanted to ask, then...

"Alex!" Maya heard Kyle call from upstairs. She could hear heavy footsteps coming downstairs.

"What!" Alex yelled, clearly not a morning person.

"Get your 'friend' before I do something I regret". He looked pissed. _This was gold_.

"I'm sorry?" Alex looked confused. Maya finally controlled her breathing.

Kyle pointed over to Maya. "She trashed my room. Do you know how long it takes to make it organized. My flashcards for my debate on Monday are all mixed up. I'm screwed because of her". He looked at her, anger filling his hazel green eyes.

Maya innocently smiled and put a hand to her chest. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about". He clenched his fists and walked closer to her.

Flashes of a memory clouded her vision and her eyes widened. She was frozen in her spot. Alex must have noticed because she was in between them in seconds. Maya began to feel light headed. "We should go get ready...for shopping."

Maya nodded. "I...uh...yeah". She let Alex drag her upstairs. She saw a flash of concern from Kyle before anger filled his eyes again, making her think she just imagined the concern.

"Just keep her out of my room." He grumbled out. Alex gave him the finger.

Maya sighed as they entered Alex's room. "Okay can I just say that you are like the coolest person in existence. Like OMG, you trashed his room. That is like beyond awesome. I would've paid actual money to see his face." She was laughing.

"Oh good you're not mad" Maya let out the breath she was holding. Alex scoffed. "Of course I'm not mad, its nice to see his ego crack for just a moment". She smiled. Maya laughed at her. That was not the reaction she was expecting.

"You don't have to explain what happened just a minute ago". Alex assured her. She nodded, thankful that Alex wouldn't ask questions.

"So how about we actually get ready for the mall?" Maya nodded in agreement.

She put her clothes back on while Alex went to the bathroom. Alex came back into the room and sat on the bed with her. "So did you pick out an outfit for Monday?".

Maya shook her head. "No, not really".

Alex gasped. "We are so buying you a badass outfit for tomorrow. No buts".

Maya sighed. "Okay..." She wasn't really sure how this would turn out.

Alex squealed. "Im buying!" She pulled Maya with her downstairs.

Once outside, Maya glanced over at her house. Jon was just leaving and the garage was still open.

"Is that your bike?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"Yep" She popped the 'p' and smiled at her bike.

Alex turned to her. "You totally need an outfit for that thing." Her eyes lit up.

"Okay." Maya waved to Jon. He smiled as he pulled off in his new Bentley. She laughed at his excitement.

Alex watched as Jon drove off. "You guys have nice rides." Maya nodded.

Alex walked over to her Lexus. Maya sat in the passengers seat. She drove to the Manhattan Mall. They rolled the windows down, listened to music and sang along on the way.

.o.O.o.

They arrived at the mall soon after. Alex squealed and pulled Maya out of the guessed that she wasn't getting out fast enough.

She laughed. "Alright. I'm coming."

Alex turned to her. "You just don't understand how excited I am for you. We are totally going to make you noticeable. Jon will be known as _your_ big brother, not you as _his_ little sister". Maya liked the sound of that.

They walked inside and Alex practically skipped to a store. _Her favorite apparently_. She stopped once we entered a store called _Céline_.

"What's your size?" She asked.

Maya looked down at herself. "Small. I guess". Alex nodded and started running around the store. Maya saw her pick up multiple things. She just tried her best to stay out of Alex's way, she seemed to be in the zone.

Alex ran up to her. "Here try these on". She pointed the fitting room. Maya walked inside and put on the dark washed jeans, white crop top that said 'force of nature' ( _how ironic_ ), and black combat boots. She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped.

"What?!" Alex yelled from the other side of the door.

Maya laughed and opened the door. "I look totally kick-ass!".

Alex gasped too. "OMG you so look kick-ass. It will go great with a leather jacket".

Maya nodded. "You are the best!" She hugged her. She wasn't the best at being girly, but she was trying. She really liked Alex.

Alex giggled. "Don't worry about it". Maya smiled then changed back into her clothes.

When she came back out Alex's eyes were gleaming. She took the clothes and walked up to the cashier. Alex paid for the clothes and clapped when the lady handed her the bag. They walked to the foodcourt and ate.

"So you're not getting anything?" Maya asked.

Alex shook her head. "This trip was for you. Plus I have way too many clothes". Maya giggled.

"You have to promise to let me come over before school so I can do your hair". Maya shook her head.

Alex gave her a look that she couldn't say 'no' to. "Fine. I'll be your doll" she said.

Alex smiled brightly. "You'll love it, I promise".

"I believe you" Maya assured her.

They spent the rest of the day hanging out and talking about random things. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.


	5. School Fools

This chapter is a lot longer than the others. Over 3,000 words.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Monday morning, Maya was awaken by the sound of her phone ringing. She grabbed it and swiped to answer.

"Hello?" She said groggily. She was not a morning person. There was a gasp.

"Maya! Why aren't you up yet!". She cringed at Alex's loud voice. They had exchanged numbers yesterday. Somehow this made her regret giving it to Alex.

"I'm up. I'm up."

Alex scoffed. "Sure you are. I'll be over in fifteen so get your ass up". Maya laughed. "Fine".

.o.O.o.

After Maya finally dragged herself out of bed, made her way into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and got into the shower.

After her shower, she wrapped a towel around herself. She walked out of the bathroom, humming _Titanium_.

"So Tenshi," Maya nearly screamed at Jon's voice. She held a hand to her chest and stared up at him.

"What the hell Jon?!" She whisper yelled. Jon ignored her and smiled. He didn't seem to notice that she was only in a towel.

"So like I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted,". Maya glared at him.

"How do you feel about your first day of school?" He asked her as if she were a 5 year old.

"I guess how anyone else would feel. It's just a new setting, nothing special. How about you?" He scoffed like she asked him a stupid question.

"Unlike you Tenshi, people just gradually fall to my feet, begging for my friendship."

Maya rolled her eyes and started back to her room. "Anta no koto daikirai"( I hate you ) she grumbled.

"Shikashi watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu, Tenshi!" (But I love you, Angel!). She gave him the finger before going into her room.

She blowdried her hair, went to her closet to get dressed, and put on the clothes that Alex bought her. She smelled breakfast cooking.

Alex opened Maya's door seconds later. "Your mom let me in". Maya nodded.

She smiled. "You ready?". Maya rolled her eyes playfully.

She threw her arms out dramatically. Alex gave her a weird look. She continued."I am now your slave. Do what you must". Alex slapped her arm, she chuckled . Maya sat at her desk with her mirror. Alex pulled multiple things out of her bag. Maya's eyes widened a little.

"Don't do that". She smiled.

Alex brushed Maya's hair out and took the curling iron. She closed her eyes while Alex did whatever to her hair.

After a moment Alex shook her awake. "Did you seriously fall asleep?".

Maya looked back at her and scoffed. "No. Of course not".

She stared at her. "You're a terrible liar. Now look". Alex turned her back around.

Maya gasped. Her hair fell in loose curls around her face and back. The curls looked soft not fuzzy and untamed.

"Wow I look..." Maya trailed off. "Wonderful." Alex finished for her.

"Just one more thing". She pulled out some mascara and eyeliner. Maya looked at them like they were aliens. Alex rolled her eyes. "Just a little".

She reluctantly closed her eyes and felt Alex apply some mascara.

"Open". She opened her eyes. Alex drew a line under both of her eyes.

"Okay and...done". She turned her around. Maya's eyes widened. "Okay tell me now, are you like my fairy godmother or something?". Alex giggled.

"Nope, just an awesome friend". Maya smiled. Who would've thought that she would make a friend before Jon did. She got up, took a deep breath then hooked her arm with Alex's. "Lets do this".

Maya walked downstairs with Alex into the kitchen. Jon looked at Maya and choked on his food. He shook his head. "Mom, she is not going to school like _that_ ". Maya glared at him.

Jocelyn turned to look at Maya and smiled. She glared at Jon. "Shut the hell up, she looks fine". Maya smiled at her.

"Thanks mom". She winked at her.

"Whatever." Jon grumbled.

Maya grabbed a bagel and smiled at him. She offered one to Alex.

She shook her head. "Already ate."

Maya finished up her bagel and looked over at Alex. She glanced down at her phone. "That's Kyle. Sorry I have to go. He drives me to school".

Maya nodded. "We'll be there soon".

She nodded. "Bye Jon, bye Miss..."

"Fray." Jocelyn said.

"Fray." Alex repeated with a smile. She waved again and left.

"She's nice." Jocelyn said after Alex left.

"She is." Maya nodded.

Jon got up and put his dish in the sink. He grabbed his keys. "Ready?". Maya grabbed her book bag and nodded.

"Bye Mom!" They both yelled.

"Bye!" She called over her shoulder.

In the garage, Maya walked over to her bike. Jon looked over at her and stared.

She shook her head."Dude, don't look at me like that". He chuckled as she put on her leather jacket.

"You're wearing makeup. Makeup! Sekai ga owari ni kite imasu!" (The world is coming to an end!). She punched him on the shoulder and grinned when he winced. She put her hair into a tight bun and put her helmet on.

She pulled up her face guard. "Lets go asshole".

He rolled his eyes and hopped inside of his car. She pulled her guard back down and revved the engine. He pulled off first and she followed quickly behind him. Their mom showed Jon the school while Maya was asleep so he knows where it is.

She laughed as she took off, the loudness of the bike making her smile. She stopped beside Jon at a red light, and saw the school ahead. She looked over at him. He shook his head. She knew that he knew exactly what she had in mind.

She nodded, looked back at the light and revved the engine again. When the light turned green, Maya took off. She cut in front of him and smiled when he honked his horn. She went at least 15mph above the speed limit until she pulled into the school parking lot.

"Dude!" She saw a couple of guys run over to her bike.

 _They better not get too close_.

"That was so sick bro." one of them said. Maya looked at him. _Oh they thought she was a guy_. She always thought of motorcycles as gender neutral.

"Holy shit, that was nice." _Wait that sounded like... No way_! She looked up to see hazel green eyes.

"What's your name dude? You can hang out with us during lunch". Maya rolled her eyes. The popular kids always thought they were doing new kids a favor by taking them in. Sheknew it was just charity.

Maya finally took off her helmet and shook out her hair. She smiled at their shocked faces. "Actually I'll pass—a little too much testosterone for me".

She hopped off the bike, helmet in hand, and walked past them, not before patting Kyle on the shoulder.

She could feel their eyes on her as she walked up to Alex. She felt slightly uncomfortable, but ignored it.

Alex smiled. "You look totally badass!". Maya laughed at her. Alex was wearing a nice yellow sundress and white shoes.

Maya smiled. "And you look great as always". Alex smiled.

She looked behind Maya . "I don't think those guys have ever seen a girl on a motorcycle".

Maya gaped at her. "Nobody here rides?". She thought that more girls rode these days.

Alex shook her head. "None of the girls. It 'messes up their hair'". Maya laughed as they walked into the office.

"How may I help you" the woman at the desk asked. She looked like an intern or something.

Maya walked to the desk. "I came to get my schedule. I'm new here".

The woman looked up at her. "Name please?".

"Amaya Fray". She tapped on her computer and the printer made a noise. She took the paper from the printer and handed it to Maya.

"She can show you to your classes I guess." she pointed to Alex. Maya nodded.

"Let me see!" Alex said excitedly. She took the schedule and squealed a couple times. "We have 3 classes together!".

Maya smiled. "Really?!". Alex nodded.

"Okay so first period is Art with yours truly". Maya smiled at that. She loved art and probably always would.

"I missed Art".

Alex laughed. "Well Ms. Hall is really cool. Too bad my idiot of a brother is in that class too."

Maya raised a brow at her last statement. "He's a junior?".

Alex shook her head. "No , the idiot surprisingly passed junior year. The extracurricular classes here are mixed. There are mostly Juniors and some Seniors in our art class".

Maya nodded. _Maybe her brother would be in that class_. It would be nice to see him more then once a day at school. She might not admit it often, but she needed Jon.

"Sounds good". Alex was still looking at Maya's schedule when Jon walked in. She laughed at him.

"Very funny, Tenshi". He shook his head.

He got his schedule and walked out of the office after saying "Hi" to Alex. "How will he know where his class is?" She asked.

"He'll probably get one of those blonde bimbos to show him. According to him they will 'fall to his feet'". She rolled her eyes. Alex giggled and pulled Maya out of the office.

Alex showed her her locker, but the people at school don't really use them. Maya just put her helmet inside and closed it. She hooked her arm in Alex's .

"Ready?" Alex asked.

She took a deep breath and put a determined look on her face. "Ready". Alex squealed and pulled Maya into the classroom.

The students that were talking stopped. They looked up. Maya looked behind her and furrowed her brows. _What were they staring at_?

"They're staring at you. We don't get many new students here" Alex said.

 _Did she say that out loud_?. "Oh that explains the looks". She nodded and sat Maya next to her. Maya put her book bag down and rested her head on the desk. She would really appreciate it if they stopped looking at her like she was a zoo animal.

The bell rang and Maya heard voices coming from the doorway. She lifted her head to see Jon and a couple other guys talking. One of them was, of course, Kyle. She knew somehow that they would hit it off.

The girls looked at Jon, but instead of looks of curiosity, these were looks of infatuation. She almost threw up in her mouth. Jon broke away from the group and walked over to her. She tried to give him a look that said _walk_ _away_ , but he just shook his head and smiled.

From the corner of her eye, Maya could see Kyle watching them intently. She furrowed her brows and shook it off when Jon stood in front of her.

Some of the girls were giving her harsh glares. _Okay_.

"Hey little sis." Jon smiled wickedly.

Maya pouted and crossed her arms in front of her like a child. "Why couldn't you just pretend that you don't know me. Look at all the glares I'm getting, because you're talking to me. This is your fault." She whisper yelled at him.

He smirked like he got the reaction he wanted. She gave him a look that said _this isn't over_. He countered her look with his own.

"See ya later, Tenshi. Alex". She glared at him.

"Whatever." She grumbled.

Alex giggled beside her. "You guys are so funny".

"Sometimes I want to strangle him." Maya laughed with her as the teacher walked in.

"Hello children". The woman looked like she was in her mid-thirties. She was wearing old clothes and an apron with paint splattered on it. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun and she wore small glasses that framed her small face. She set her sketchbook down and looked out at her students.

She looked at Maya and Jon, and smiled. "Looks like we have some new students. How about you come up and introduce yourselves?". Maya groaned, she hated that part. New student introduction? More like new student humiliation.

Ms. Hall nodded for Maya to go first. She walked to the front of the classroom, jacket in hand. "Amaya Fray" she bowed, like she was taught in Japan. She got a few weird looks, but ignored them. _She wasn't going to say anything else_.

Jon clapped a little. Maya glared at him and returned to her seat. She waited for the show Jon was about to put on.

Jon smiled and walked to the front of the classroom. "Jonathan Christopher Fray." he bowed similar to how she did. "Lets see, I am 17 years old. I am also the amazing older brother of the ice queen over there." Maya gave him the finger. He laughed. "My point exactly. Where was I—Oh yeah. We moved to New York from Florida and before that we lived in Japan. I also play soccer and I'm excited to get to know you all."

With that he went to go sit down. The glares from the girls went away, thankfully. "Okay that was interesting. Japan huh?" Ms. Hall asked.

Maya opened her mouth to answer. "Yes ma'am" Jon cut in. She rolled her eyes.

Ms. Hall smiled. "Okay well today we are going to draw from observation. Everyone get out your sketchbooks".

She gave Maya and Jon some extras. "Okay so I want everyone to draw these roses".

Ms. Hall put the red roses on the middle table. "Make sure to pay attention to the details on the stems and petals".

Maya noticed that some of the petals were a little dried out. Her fingers twitched to fix it.

Everyone had their eyes on their sketchbooks. She raised her hand a little and could feel her eyes begin to spark, then she heard a loud cough and she stopped. Maya looked over at Jon. He shook his head slightly. She huffed and crossed her arms. He smiled.

Maya flipped to the first page of her sketchbook and grabbed a pencil out of her bag. She started to draw the outline of the roses. Afterwards, she began to fill in the details of the roses. Maya smiled as the drawing slowly came together.

"Damn Picasso, slow down."

She laughed at Alex. "I told you I like art."

Alex stared at Maya's sketch. "You weren't kidding."

Maya finished up her sketch and laid back. The teacher walked over. "Nice job. This is beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled at her. Jon scoffed at his sketchbook. Maya raised a brow. "Help me" he mouthed. Kyle was looking between the two of them. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine" she mouthed back.

He may be annoying, but she would do anything for that idiot. She walked over to his table and leaned over his drawing.

Maya snorted. "You do need help. This looks like shit".

Jon laughed. " ." He handed her the pencil. Maya ripped out the page and turned to a new one. She sketched the outline and filled it in a little. "Just keep filling it in like that".

He nodded, smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Okage de, Tenshi" (Thanks, Angel).

She fixed her hair and huffed. "Nani demo, kirainahito" (Whatever, asshole) . He laughed.

"You guys' secret language is kind of weird". They looked over to see Kyle sketching. He glanced up at Maya. Jon chuckled as she scoffed.

"Its not a 'secret language', it's Japanese and it's only weird to you because you don't understand it".

He smirked up at her. "Nah Midge its still weird".

Maya balled her fists and glared at him. The wind started to blow outside. Jon stopped laughing when he saw her eyes. "Dude." he shook his head. Kyle chuckled and turned back to his sketch, completely oblivious to what he was making her do.

She tightened her fists. The window in the back opened. "Tenshi..." Jon warned her. He stood up and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

Maya jerked out of his grasp and glanced back at Kyle. She looked back up to Jon and narrowed her eyes. "Subarashī shigoto o sentaku suru yūjin, Jon" (Fantastic job choosing friends, Jon).

Jon leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Tenshi, anata no ikari o seigyo suru hitsuyō ga arimasu" (Angel, you need to control your anger). Maya looked down and nodded. She took a deep breath.

"You good?" He asked. She nodded.

"Good" He kissed her forehead and sat back down. People stopped to stare at them, but she ignored them and sat back down next to Alex.

"Your brother is really an asshole."

Alex closed her sketchbook. "Tell me something I don't know". She looked at Maya with sympathy. "Don't take it personally, he's like that with everyone. That skank of a girlfriend hasn't changed him one bit".

Maya looked at her. "He has a girlfriend?"

She nodded. "Ash. She's a total bitch. They've been off and on for a few months now. Kyle can't commit. He was never able to."

Maya glanced over at Kyle. She noticed that he looked sort of lost. His eyes had that blank look they always seemed to have. "Maybe some people aren't meant to change". Alex agreed.

The bell rang and she took Maya out of the classroom. "Hey... Uh I have to finish up a test for one of my teachers today at lunch so I'll probably be late".

Maya shrugged. "No biggie. Do what you have to do. I'll just do whatever".

"I'm so sorry". Alex gave her an apologetic look.

Maya shook her head. "Alex I'll be fine. I'll just walk around. I need to figure out this school anyway". She nodded.

"Well English is that door at the end of the hall" she pointed.

Maya nodded. "Thanks, see ya later".

She walked to English. Lunch couldn't come fast enough.


	6. Lunch!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Why was this school so boring_?! Maya could have sworn that she fell asleep at least once. Without Alex, the school was just so predictable. Popular kids, geeks, nerds, jocks, and cheerleaders. That's Lake View High for you.

The bell finally rang for lunch. Maya practically ran for the door. _Not that she doesn't like chemistry... It's just... No... She hates it_.

She muttered apologies as she bumped into people in the hall.

Maya made her way into the cafeteria. She already had a lunch, so she just needed snacks. She waited in line for what felt like forever. She was starting to dislike this school even more.

Finally she was able to pick up a bag of chips and a warm soda. _Who likes warm drinks_? She just passed it off.

Maya paid for her stuff and walked out of the line. Her pizza was in her book bag.

She attempted to just go outside and eat when she heard...

"Tenshi!". Maya froze in her spot. _Was he trying to embarrass her!_ She slowly turned around and looked at her brother across the cafeteria. Jon motioned for her to come over. He was with a group of guys including Kyle, of course. Maya rolled her eyes. She knew he wouldn't quit until she came over.

As she got closer, she noticed that there were several girls at the table. They were hanging over some of the guys' shoulders, some sitting in their lap. One sat extremely close to Kyle, almost in his lap. He had his hand on her waist and his mouth by her ear. She was giggling. Maya rolled her eyes. _That must be Ash_. All of these girls were dressed like supermodels.

Maya felt somewhat insecure as she walked over to them. They looked like the type of girls that guys were interested in. The girl's clothes were tight, they wore a lot of makeup and their hair looked perfectly styled. _They were really pretty, unlike her_.

Jon smiled up at Maya as she stood beside him. "What" She snapped, really wanting to get out of this situation. A couple girls were at his side. Maya scoffed. Their boobs were practically spilling out of their shirts.

"Oh Tenshi, is that how you greet your big brother?" He smirked.

"It is when he's being an asshole" She said impatiently.

"Whatever. So guys, you've met Maya right?".

One of the blondes beside him squealed. Jon furrowed his brows at her. "Oh My God! That's your sister!".

He patted her on the shoulder like a child. "Yes it is". Maya snorted.

"Watashi wa anata ga kinpatsu o motte sanshō shite kudasai" (I see you've got a blonde).

Jon put his arm around her and scoffed at Maya. "Yoku, sukunakutomo kanojo wa atsuidesu, Tenshi" (Well at least she's hot, Angel).

He turned back around to face his new friends. Maya gasped. _He knows how insecure she is._

She saw him tense after what he said probably resonated in his head. Jon turned around with and gave her an apologetic look, but it was already too late. He stood up in front of her.

"Tenshi..." Maya held out a hand and tried to hold in her tears. She did not want to look weak in front of them.

She shook her head. "I'm...uh...I'm just gonna go..." Maya backed away, not looking at him. She looked at her feet, hurried out of the cafeteria, and didn't look back to see the broken look on Jon's face. _He just wanted to fit in_. She should have been prepared for this. Jon always wanted to be popular.

 _Well he got what he wanted; her out of the picture_. So she ran, trying to clear her head, and stopped when she reached some lockers. She slowly slid down the lockers and hugged her legs to herself.

Maya cried silently to herself. She knew she shouldn't be like this, but what Jon said really hurt.

She heard the rain coming down outside. _Great, now she made it rain_. _Could it get any worse?_

Maya looked up at the room in front of her. She wiped her face, walked over to the door, and pushed it open.

In the room were a variety of instruments. She looked at the grand piano in the middle of the classroom. No one else was in there. Maya made her way over to the piano and sat down.

She played a couple of keys to test the tune and smiled.

She remembered when Jocelyn put her in piano lessons. She remembered telling her that she really liked the piano and that her other foster parents said it was a waste of time. Jocelyn called them stupid and signed her up for lessons the next day.

Maya was always afraid of going to a new foster home, because it could have been just as bad as the other one.

Jocelyn showed her that she didn't have to be afraid anymore and for that she will always love her. She gave Maya a family when nobody else would. This family brought her out of the shell she put herself in.

Maya wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She checked the tune of the piano again before playing.

She immediately felt a rush of emotions. She remembered this song, she used to play it for her mom all the time. Jocelyn said that it was one of her favorites so Maya learned it just for her.

After a moment she closed her eyes and let the music flow through the classroom. The window to the classroom opened and air started to flow in.

She kept playing, not even thinking of stopping.

The air flowed around her, locking her inside of it. She closed her eyes tighter and made the wind go back outside. The window shut as she continued to play.

As the tempo increased, she felt her eyes begin to water again. She really hated crying.

Maya played with all of the emotions that she had built up. She let herself feel free and cleared her mind of everything. Her insecurities, flaws, old foster parents, just...everything.

The skies cleared up as her eyes sparked. The sun peaked through the window. She continued to play and laughed at how free she felt. Playing the piano always made her feel this way. The only other thing that came anywhere close to giving her that feeling was dancing. She liked different types of dancing, but hip-hop was her favorite.

The song slowly came to an end and her fingers slowly ceased to play. She smiled a little to herself. It's been a while. She really needed that.

Maya heard movement by the door and looked up. She gasped.

Kyle was standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame. He was staring at her intently.

She sighed and looked back down. "If you're here to make fun of me, then don't bother, my brother already beat you to it". She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Kyle smirked and came down to sit next to her on the bench. "No. I'm not here to do that". She looked at him and furrowed her brows.

"Then what are you doing here?". He looked around for a moment before meeting her gaze again.

He ran his fingers across the piano keys. "I come here sometimes to clear my head."

He smirked "You kinda stole my hiding spot".

She laughed. "Why would you need one of those?".

Kyle chuckled. "Many reasons. Annoying girlfriend, annoying friends, annoying school, just life in general sometimes".

Maya played with a few keys, making a random tune. "I know what you mean".

He paused for a second. "What did your brother say to make you so upset? I couldn't tell from your whole secret language thing".

She laughed and slapped his shoulder. "It's not a secret language!".

He put his hands up in surrender. "Hey for all I know it could be klingon". Maya rolled her eyes.

He furrowed his brows. "What were you playing before?".

She shook her head. "Just a song I learned for my Mom. It's her favorite".

She played a couple notes of it and looked to him. "Do you play?".

He shook his head. "Never really picked it up".

Maya nodded. "So guitar is more of your thing?". Kyle raised a brow.

"How did you know I played the guitar?". She smiled and looked away.

"I may or may not have listened while I was over on Saturday". His eyes widened.

She gasped. "I'm sorry did I listen in on something personal. God. I'm sor-" He cut her off with his hand on her mouth.

Maya's eyes widened at the contact. "Amaya. It's no big deal, really. It's just... I don't play in front of people".

Kyle realized his hand was still on her mouth and moved it. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and blew out a puff of air.

She ignored the fact that he called her by her full name. "Well from what I've heard, you're pretty good".

He smiled."Yeah I've been playing for awhile, it's kind of like a bedtime ritual".

She smiled and kept playing random notes. "Well now I feel bad. That was personal".

"Well I listened to you so we're even".

She nodded. "Deal".

Kyle furrowed his brows for a second. "I didn't picture you as a biker".

She laughed. "Do I look like the kind of girl that drives a pink buggy or something?".

He chuckled then examined her for a second. "No. No you don't".

Maya stopped playing. "Good , because if you said yes, I might have punched you". He shook his head.

"Don't mind your brother. He's just being an asshole to impress the guys. God knows I've done that before".

She looked down and nodded. "I get it, but it still hurts when he does stuff like this. I mean he's all I have right now besides Mom". He looked like he understood.

"He'll come around". That made her feel a little better. She couldn't believe it. _Kyle_ was comforting her.

The door opened and they both looked up. It was the girl Maya seen him with at lunch, his girlfriend.

"Hey babe. I was looking for you. What are you doing in here already?". Maya swore she wanted to rip her ears off at her nasally voice. How can Kyle listen to _that_ everyday!

"Hey Ash. I was just talking to someone". He looked a little annoyed.

"Talking. Hmmm. Hey aren't you that new girl from Florida". Maya raised a brow. "Wow. Word travels fast here." She mumbled.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah Maya, nice to meet you...".

"Ashley, but most just call me Ash". Maya nodded and picked up her book bag.

"Well I should leave you two to...whatever. Bye" She waved as she left out of the room.

 _That was really awkward_.

* * *

AN: Another filler chapter. I know I must have lost most of you at no Clary or Jace in this story, but my characters are somewhat similar. I just wanted to do something different. More TMI characters will come later on. 3


	7. Partners

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

It'd been a week since the whole lunch thing. Maya and Jon were finally on good terms again. After he apologized like a hundred times and bought her a new sketchbook, she was forced to forgive him. Maya would have forgiven him without the gifts and apologies, but it was fun watching him squirm.

Her and Alex hung out all weekend. They watched movie and joked about stupid stuff. Alex was beginning to be her best friend.

Kyle hadn't really spoken to her since that day. He ignored her when she was at his house and at school. He went back to being his normal self. Any hint of what she saw on Monday was completely gone.

It was now another Monday morning and Maya groaned as she got out of bed. She swiped her hand and opened her window. The cool air came into the stuffy room. She sighed and made her way to the bathroom.

Her and Jon shared a bathroom. He was currently taking a shower. _She always went first_. Maya scoffed and banged on the door.

"Jon! Hurry up! I have things to do!" He was singing loudly and, might she add, horribly.

He stopped singing. "I'll be out in ten minutes!". She could hear the humor in his voice and continued to bang on the door.

"Jon! I don't have ten minutes! School starts in thirty minutes!" She yelled at him through the door.

"You're going to have to wait, Tenshi!" Jon said in a sing-song voice. He resumed his singing.

Maya glared at the door and an idea popped into her head. She smirked. "Whatever you say big brother".

She closed her eyes and held out her palm. After a moment she heard a high pitched scream and laughed.

"What the hell, Maya! The water is freezing now!". She laughed and heard the water cut off. He opened the door seconds later with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Are you happy now?".

She innocently smiled. "Yes, very much".

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Ha. Ha. Very funny".

She pushed past him and started the shower again. "Thank you".

He rolled his eyes and shut the door.

 _He's such an idiot_.

.o.O.o.

Maya arrived to school ten minutes late. After she got ready, it took her five minutes to find her keys.

When she walked into art class, all eyes went to her. She walked up to Ms. Hall. "I'm sorry I'm late". Maya glared at Jon. "A certain _someone_ hid the keys to my bike this morning". Ms. Hall smiled.

"I remember having a brother like that. Just take your seat". Maya bowed and thanked her. Ms. Hall smiled at the action.

She took her seat next to Alex.

"Jon?".

Maya nodded. She shook her head and laughed.

"Of course". She rolled her eyes and smiled at Alex.

Ms. Hall called them to attention. "Okay so today we are going to start a project. You and a partner are going to be asking each other a list of questions that I created. With their answers, you will create a portrait of them. You have to incorporate the information into the portrait. And no, you do not get to pick your own partners".

Maya heard a collection of groans throughout the classroom, Alex included. She laughed at her. Alex turned to her and pouted. "I hope I still get you". Maya smiled and nodded.

The teacher started listing names. "Okay. Amy and Michael, Sarah and Caroline, Jaimie and Kim, Jonathan F. and Alan, Alex and Stephanie, Amaya and Kyle," Maya stopped listening after that. _She's partnered with who_?!

Kyle's eyes widened too. "Can I please have someone else?" He begged. Maya gaped. _Was she really that bad_?

Maya thought that after their talk that he would stop being cold to her, but she was wrong.

She kept her face blank as Ms. Hall answered. "No you may not. These partnerships are final". He crossed his arms. Alex glared at him. Kyle just shrugged.

Alex sighed. "Don't take it personally".

Maya shook her head. "I didn't. Don't worry about it" She lied.

Jon must have noticed the look on her face and hit Kyle on the arm. "Dude, that's my sister". Kyle put his hands up in surrender.

Maya mouthed "thank you" to Jon before returning her attention back to the teacher. He smiled before looking away.

That project was going to be...interesting.


	8. The Project

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

They had until the end of the week to finish the project. That gave them until Friday to finish. Alex was lucky. She got one of the sweetest girls in the class. Too bad she was stuck with the boy with mood swings.

After school Maya rode her bike to Alex's house. The sooner they started, the sooner they could get it over with.

She hopped off of her bike and walked up to Alex's door, helmet in hand. She held up her hand to knock, but the door swung open before she could.

Alex had her jacket in hand. Her eyes widened when she saw Maya. "Oh hey. I was just about to head over to Stephanie's. You can come too".

Maya shook her head. "No I'm here to do the project with Kyle. I just want to get it over with".

Alex groaned. "I'm sorry".

She laughed. "Don't be. Go". Alex gave her an apologetic look. "He's in his room. On the phone". She added the last part with a roll of her eyes.

She waved and made her way over to her car.

Maya blew her a kiss as she pulled off. She laughed and caught it as she drove off.

Maya stood at the door for a moment. "Oh hell." She muttered.

She shut the door and made her way up the stairs. She stopped in front of his door and was about to knock when she heard his voice.

"Babe. Babe listen. Babe. I have to go". Maya held in a chuckle. His girlfriend is really clingy apparently.

"I know. Always...Always. Okay". She heard him sight.

She pulled out her phone and texted Alex. (Maya: bold, Alex: italics)

 **What's with all the 'Always' crap?**

 _OMG, it's like they will 'always' love each other. But the thing is he's never said the actual words to her!_

 **That's a load of crap... Well, hell awaits.**

 _Lol!_

She put her phone back in her pocket and knocked on his door. "Go away Alex!".

Maya huffed. She really was not in the mood. "Not Alex, asshole".

She heard the bed creak and footsteps came towards the door.

Kyle cracked the door and perked through. "What are you doing here?".

Maya rolled her eyes. "I'm here to do the project. You know...to get it over with".

He looked at her for a second before opening the door fully. "Whatever. Come in". She walked into his room and set her helmet down. She looked around, still surprised to see it so organized.

He went into his closet and came back with his sketchbook and a pencil. He sat down on the carpet and leaned his head against the bed. Maya sat across from him and got out a pencil and her sketchbook.

She flipped to a new page. "Oh yeah... the questions" He went into his bag and pulled out a slip of paper. She did the same.

He sighed. "Okay first question: What is your favorite color?" He rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, purple".

She rolled her eyes. "Actually my favorite color happens to be white".

He furrowed his brows. "Why white?"

She sighed. "Well if I have to explain. I like white because it represents so many things. I represents innocence, a clean slate, new beginnings. I don't know I've always seemed to be able to connect with it".

He just stared for a moment. "All that from one color?". She looked away embarrassed, then cursed herself for acting like such a girl.

"Shut up. What's yours?"

He shrugged. "Black".

"Of course" She muttered.

He chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean?". She was surprised to hear him laugh.

Maya sighed again and put her book down. "It just happens to be the complete opposite of white".

He pointed at her. "That it is".

Maya shook her head. "Whatever. Next question: Who's your best friend?"

He thought about it for a second. "Probably Jack". Maya wrote it down.

"Alex". He rolled his eyes and wrote it down.

"Okay. What are your hobbies?"

"Piano, dancing, and art". _And controlling nature,_ she added in her head _._

 _"_ Guitar _,_ video games, and admiring my good looks". He smirked at the last one. She wrote it down.

"Let's see,". She snorted at the next question. "Do you have any secret admirers?".

He smirked. "Ahh yes, try half of the New York female population". Maya scoffed and just wrote 'yes'.

"How about you?". She laughed without humor. "Try no one".

He looked at me. "What?" She said.

"I'm sure that's not true". She just shrugged.

"What song would you say best sums you up?"

Maya thought about it. " _Force of Nature_ by Bea Miller". That song is like her life. _Literally_. He wrote it down.

" _Sexy and I Know It_ by L.M.F.A.O". Maya rolled her eyes and wrote it down.

"How many languages do you speak?" she asked.

"One. English, it's all I need to know" he leaned back more and waited for her answer. She wrote his down and looked at him.

"Three. English, Japanese, and some Spanish". He raised a brow, but wrote it down.

"Who knows you the best?".

Maya smiled. "Jon".

He shrugged. "No one".

She scoffed. "What about your girlfriend or your sister? Or even your parents?".

"They don't know me" he said simply. Maya just wrote it down, not wanting to ask more questions.

"What is the point of this. Okay. Are you a clean or messy person".

Maya stopped Kyle from talking. "Don't worry. I already know the answer". He shook his head as she wrote 'clean'.

"You?". She shrugged. "Clean". He wrote it down.

"Have you ever had a Nickname? If yes, what was it?". He furrowed his brows for a moment.

"Your brother calls you something. Menchi, was it?.

I shook my head. "No. Its Tenshi. T.e.n.s.h.i."

He looked up from writing it. "What does it mean".

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I thought you wanted to get this over with".

"Just answer the question". She didn't look at him.

"It's Japanese. It means Angel. He's been calling me that for what feels like forever".

He nodded. "Mine is KJ for Kyle Jones, but nobody calls me that anymore". She wrote it down.

"What has been the best day of your life?".

He shrugged. "Haven't had it yet".

She hesitated. He looked at her. "How about you?".

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was hard to talk about this stuff with people. "Um... I would have to say... when Jon's mom adopted me".

He looked up. She bit her lip and fumbled with her fingers in her lap. _Why was he making her so nervous_? She hated feeling this way.

She heard him move, but she didn't look up. She felt his thumb on her chin and her eyes widened.

Kyle pulled her lip from in between her teeth. "You're going to bite straight through". He glanced down at her lips and her heart jumped slightly.

He cleared his throat, sat back against his bed, and wrote something down. _What the hell was that?!_

"Okay...Um...What would you change about yourself if you could?". He looked up like he was interested in her answer.

She thought about it. "I would definitely change my height because people always seem to make fun of me for that. I would get rid of all the stupid freckles I have. I would change my eye color to something normal...and now I'm rambling". She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked up.

He looked...annoyed. Why was he annoyed?

He set his book aside. "First of all, yeah you're short, but some guys like that. Second of all your freckles aren't stupid. And lastly, normal is boring".

Maya gaped at him. He waved a hand. "Whatever. Next question". He was so wishy washy.

She shook herself out of the daze she was in. "You didn't answer".

Kyle picked up his book again. "Oh. That would be nothing". She nodded. He really didn't need to change anything about himself. Maybe just tone down the ego a bit.

"Okay. What is your biggest fear?".

He thought about it. "Got it. Zombie Apocalypse". He looked satisfied with that so Maya wrote it down.

"Being taken away from this family" _and people finding out about her powers_.

"Why is that?".

She crossed her arms. "What are you? My therapist?.

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms too. She sighed.

"Because, the last foster home I was in... Lets just say it wasn't...pleasant. My worst fear would be to be put back in that kind of...environment". She tried to use kinder words to describe her experience.

Maya looked up at him. His eyes were wide.

"Did they hurt you?" She could tell her was trying to keep his voice calm.

She waved a hand, trying to change the subject. "I doesn't really matter anymore. Just drop it." She said in a small voice.

He stood up. "The hell I will. You can't just tell me that then say forget about it.".

Maya began to get angry. She stood up too. _What right did he have to be angry?!_

"Well why the hell not? Why do you even care? Did you think I forgot that you practically begged the teacher for another partner? So don't act like you care. I'm just here to finish this goddamn project and go. So can we do that please?".

Over Kyle's shoulder, Maya saw dark clouds forming. She sighed and focused on her breathing.

He ran a hand through his hair and sat on his bed. "Yeah whatever".

Maya sighed and sat back down on the floor. Her eyes sparked as she returned the sky to normal. Kyle wasn't paying attention, so he didn't notice. Her eyes don't stay like that for long anyway.

"We have two more left". She looked up at him. He sat back down, across from her.

Maya nodded. "If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?". She was a little interested in what he would say.

He smirked. "Telekinesis".

She laughed. "Move things with your mind. You know you an do that with your hands right?". He shook his head.

"Shut up". She laughed again. "Okay. Telepathy". He lifted a brow.

"Why would you want to know what people are thinking? Especially with all of these teenagers around" he waggled his brows.

She scoffed. "Everyone's mind is not as perverted as yours". He smirked. "I would be able to judge people's character a lot better. You know the phrase 'don't judge a book by it's cover'. Well I want to be able to see what's on the inside first". He nodded in agreement.

"Last one. Tell your partner what you like about them: be honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met". She groaned. _Of course this is the last one_.

He put his arms behind his head and smirked. "Let's hear it".

She grumbled. "Fine.". He smiled.

"I like how you're not all horrible, only most of the time." He motioned for her to keep going. "Aww come on. You can do better than that".

She closed her eyes and sighed. "You're kind of easy to talk to, when you're not being an asshole. You like music so that's a plus. You put up walls. I can tell because I do the same thing." Kyle's eyes widened at her last statement, but he didn't say anything.

He shook his head and cleared his throat . "Um...I like your passion for music. I like how important your family is to you. You have this fire too. You don't let stupid people get to you and you don't fall for bullshit." he smiled. " And I don't know if you notice, but when you see your brother, your eyes light up like a Christmas tree".

He sat up."You really look up to him don't you?". He examined her.

She nodded and smiled, thinking of Jon.

"What about you and Alex?".

He laughed. "Alex thinks that I hate her. She's my little sister. I would do anything for her. Our parents and little brother aren't around much, so I'm here to watch out for her".

Maya raised a brow. "You guys have a little brother?"

He nodded. "Max. He's only nine."

She smiled. "Maybe I'll get to meet him one day.".

He looked down and nodded. "I'm sure you will".

Maya stood up and grabbed her bag.

She turned to him. "Count your blessings, Kyle. I would have done anything to have been born into a family that loved me. I mean I have the Fray's, but that took seven years. You have Alex, your parents, a girlfriend, and friends. You should tell them how much you appreciate them".

He smiled slightly. "You know. You're not half bad Fray".

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up".

Kyle chuckled and handed Maya her helmet. She took it and put her book bag on her shoulder. He stared at her for a moment.

"Give me your number" he blurted out. She turned to him and raised a brow.

He rolled his eyes. "For the project".

Maya shrugged. "If you say so".

He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She put in her number and called it. Her phone rang in her pocket ."Now I have yours".

He nodded and followed her downstairs. She turned to him before they reached the bottom of the stairs. "You don't have to pretend to be a gentleman. I can see myself out".

He stopped. "Who says I'm pretending?". She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Maya stopped at the door and reached to open it. Kyle stepped in front of her and opened it first. He bowed a little and motioned her out.

"You're such an idiot".

He chuckled. "Only on certain days".

Maya scoffed. "Yeah 'certain days'".

She turned to leave, then turned around once more. "Don't forget about what I said. Appreciate the now!" She threw her hands up dramatically and ran to her bike. The day did not end how she expected it to.

He watched her and chuckled as she pulled off. He didn't close the door until she was in her garage". She waved before going into her house.

.o.O.o.

"Don't forget about what I said. Appreciate the now!". Kyle chuckled as she ran back to her bike, helmet in hand.

He had to admit, it was a nice bike. Somehow the purple didn't make it look girly. He watched her until she parked in her garage.

She gave him a quick wave before going into her house.

Kyle closed the door and went back into his room. His sketchbook was still on the floor.

He picked it up and looked at what he wrote down. Who knew that the confident girl that told him off had so much on her plate.

She made him really evaluate his life. He has so many people around him that he can go to. Yeah his family is a little screwed up, but it shouldn't control his life.

 _God, He's such an asshole_.

His life isn't perfect, but it could have turned out a lot worse. _Much worse_.

He's always been jealous of Alex. Their parents had always paid more attention to her. It made him feel like he didn't matter. He was the odd one out. The one not completely belonging to the family. He was an accident. They messed him up by doing that, but they were still his parents. They raised him, but there are some things that he can't change about himself.

His parents made him have trust issues. He cant even tell his girlfriend that he loves her. That's how screwed he is.

He's tried, but it just doesn't feel right. Even when they fuck, he can't say it. He can't even consider it having sex or anything else. That's how he sees it. Just fucking. _He's so fucking screwed_.

Kyle ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

After a moment, He heard the door downstairs open.

He jogged downstairs and tackled Alex into a bear hug. "You're a great little sister, don't ever forget that. If you ever need anything, I'll be here".

He put her down and patted her shoulder. "Good talk". He went back upstairs, trying to spare his ego a little.

Alex just gave him a strange look.

Kyle went back into his room and closed the door.

He pulled out my phone and texted his parents. Yeah he was angry with them and himself sometimes, but he loved them.

Hope you guys are okay. We're fine here. See you soon I guess~K

He got a reply soon after from his mom.

 _It's so good to hear from you. It means a lot. Your father and I are just fine. We're coming back to New York on the weekend. Definitely see you guys soon!_ _~M_

He smiled at that. With both of their parents being lawyers, it makes them move around a lot. His parents trust him and Alex to take care of themselves, so they just take Max with them.

He texted Jack.

Don't forget about practice tomorrow. Game's Friday. Your one of the best, but don't be an ass on the field dude. ~K

 _I'm always an ass dude, you know this. I heard the new kid is trying out tomorrow. We need some new players. Sometimes I feel like it's just us two._ _~J_

Kyle chuckled.

We have 10 other people on the team! But I feel that way sometimes too. Maybe because I'm an ass. ~K

 _You are an ass_ _~J_

Kyle rolled his eyes at no one in particular.

I'm your ass ~K

 _Bro :/_ ~J

He chuckled and texted one more person.

Thank you ~J


	9. Jealous?

I actually wrote 5k+ words for this chapter. Enjoy!

*Lyrics to Enemy Fire belong to Bea Miller

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Thank you ~J_

Maya smiled at the text, then another one came. It was from Alex. (Maya: bold, Alex: italics)

 _What the HELL did you say to my brother. He hugged me. HUGGED ME!_

She laughed.

 **I just told him that he needs to appreciate the people around him. I must have gotten through to him.**

 _Are you like JESUS or something! Nobody gets through to him. NO ONE._

 **I'm just good with people I guess ;)**

 _Well whatever you're doing. Keep it up!_

 **We'll see :)**

Jon knocked on Maya's door. She sucked in a breath and the door opened. She laid back on her bed.

"What's up?". She was hovering a ball of water above her head.

He shook his head and sat down beside her. "Nothing much. Just wondering what made you so happy".

"How do you know I'm happy?" She asked, as she smiled.

"For one, you're smiling. Two, the sun is shining way too bright to be normal, and I'm your brother so I know things". Maya rolled her eyes and let a tiny ball of water fall into her mouth.

She looked over to him. "So what if I am? Can't I just be in a good mood without being interrogated?".

Jon stared up at the ball of water. Maya sighed and popped a tiny bit over to him. He caught it in his mouth and laid down next to her.

"Yes you can. If you're happy, I'm happy. But seriously the sun is really bright. You might wanna tone it down a bit".

Maya slapped his arm and looked out of the window. She moved some clouds over the sun.

"Better?" she popped another piece of water into her mouth.

"Much better". She glared at him.

"Calm your tits, Tenshi." Jon smirked.

Maya looked up at her ball of water. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened. He ran to the door.

Jon slammed the door shut just as the water hit it.

"Asshole!" Maya yelled. She could hear him chuckling from the other side.

.o.O.o.

Tuesday morning, Maya got up and got ready for school like every other day.

Jon made sure to let her use the bathroom first. _Smart boy_.

Maya wrapped herself in a towel and made her way to her room. She stood in the middle of her room and looked out of her window.

She saw a flash of blonde hair and her her jumped. _Why in the hell did it keep doing that?_

Maya went into her closet and picked out something to wear. She chose a plain white shirt, light ripped jeans, and white converses.

She slapped on a gold watch and put her curly hair up into a ponytail. A few tendrils fell down around her face. She ignored them and grabbed her book bag and keys.

When she got downstairs, Jocelyn handed her a plate of breakfast. She sat down at the table. Jocelyn walked over to her. "I have some good news."

Maya looked up from her plate. "Really?"

Jocelyn nodded. "I know how much you liked the dance studio back in Florida, so I found this really good one and it's only about 10 minutes away."

Maya's eyes widened. "What is it called?"

Jocelyn thought for a second. "EXPG. I think that's it."

Maya squealed. "EXPG. THE EXPG. I can't believe it. I'm going to be dancing at EXPG. Mom, you are the best!"

She got up and hugged her. Jocelyn laughed. "I'm glad you're so excited. You start next week. It's just Tuesdays and Thursdays for now."

Maya didn't care that it was only two days a week. She was going to be dancing in one of the best dance studios in New York!

"That's great!"

Jocelyn smiled. "They're going to love you. You're really talented."

"Talented at what?" They both turned to Jon.

Maya ran up to him. "Dude. Mom signed me up to dance at EXPG."

His eyes widened. "Seriously. Like the EXPG." She nodded.

He hugged her. "You'll do great there. I know you love dancing."

Maya checked the time. "Oh, we should get going."

Jon nodded and took his plate to go. "Bye mom."

Maya turned around. "Thanks again."

She smiled. "Don't worry about it."

They opened the door to the garage. Jon turned to her. "Oh yeah. I'm trying out for the soccer team today. Can you come to the field after school?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He smiled.

When they opened the garage, Maya saw that Alex's car was already gone. They always beat them there.

She hopped onto her bike and put her helmet on. She revved the engine and made her way to school.

.o.O.o.

When Maya arrived at the school building, she parked her bike and walked inside. When she got to the hallway with her locker, she froze.

The halls were pretty empty, but right next to her locker was Kyle and Ash. It's almost as if Ash wanted to rub it in her face.

Maya stopped and cocked her head to the side. Kyle's back was to her. He had Ash pressed against the lockers, her hands were up his shirt.

For some reason, Maya's heart clenched. She cursed herself. _She had no right to feel like that_.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Ash looked directly at Maya. She smiled cunningly and turned back to Kyle. _So Ash did do this on purpose_.

Kyle followed her gaze and looked behind him. His eyes locked with Maya's and widened.

He turned back to Ash and said something to her. She smiled and kissed him before walking off. She gave Maya a small smirk before leaving.

Maya put on the blank look that she perfected over the years. Showing her emotions was a sign of weakness. She couldn't let them see her like that, but again; _why does she care?_

Maya walked up to her locker, not even chancing a glance in his direction. She opened her locker and put her helmet inside. Afterwards, she shut the locker and moved to go to art.

Kyle stood in front of her and grabbed her shoulders lightly. Maya stopped abruptly and tensed. She did not like how him touching her made her feel.

He sighed."Maya...about that—"

"I see you took my advice." she blurted out.

"Uh...yeah." he ran a hand through his hair.

"It's cool, just try not to practically shag her on my locker next time". She made to move again, he stood in front of her. Her eyes still only made it to his neck. She looked up.

"Look, I can't work on the project today. Jon has soccer tryouts and I want to watch".

He chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I've heard".

She looked up at him and raised a brow.

"I'm on the team" he explained.

"Cool...Well I should get to class". She moved around him, this time he didn't stop her.

Maya practically ran to art trying to get out of that awkward situation. She was so in her head that she didn't see the person that she almost ran over.

The person grabbed her hips to steady her. She jumped out of their grasp in surprise.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry". She realized that she knocked their stuff out of their hands. She scrambled to pick everything up.

She heard a throaty chuckle and looked up. It was a guy. _Okay it was a good looking guy_. He had light brown eyes, short brown hair, and a nice smile too. He was definitely not hard on the eyes.

"Don't worry about it". He bent down to help her pick up his stuff.

"Would you be surprised if I told this happens more often than you think?". He smiled and shook his head.

"No. I wouldn't".

Maya smiled as they picked up the last of his things. She handed him his stuff and smiled.

He cocked his head to the side. "Hey. You're the new girl right?".

She nodded and held out her hand. "Yup. Maya".

He shook it. "Yeah you're in my art class. I'm Jack".

Maya didn't think she'd ever seen him in her art class before.

She passed it off as nothing. She's usually in the zone in that class. Even Alex doesn't get her full attention.

Jack smiled. "How about this, I'll forgive you for almost running me over if you let me walk you to class".

Maya smiled back as he held out his arm out to her.

She laughed and took his arm. "Deal".

He chuckled and walked with her to art. "We are so late".

Maya grimaced. "Yeah my bad".

He shook his head. "I told you not to worry about it".

She nodded, but she still felt bad.

They made it to art in no time. He let go of her arm to open the door.

He bowed. "After you m'lady".

Maya rolled her eyes and giggled. "Thank you good sir" she said in a British accent.

He chuckled then made a serious face. "You are so very welcome m'lady" he mimicked her accent.

She burst out laughing and walked through the door. He was chuckling behind her. She stopped laughing as all eyes fell on them.

"Amaya...Jack, nice of you to join us". Maya grimaced at the use of her full name.

Jack spoke first. "Sorry . I would have been here on time if this one..." he motioned over to Maya "didn't tackle me in the hallway". He was holding in a laugh.

Maya slapped his arm and laughed. "I did not! Okay here's what _actually_ happened..." the teacher gave her a look "you know what the details aren't really important".

Ms. Hall smirked. "Just sit down you two".

Maya laughed again. "Right".

She took her seat next to Alex and Jack took his seat next to...Kyle?

Maya cocked her head to the side then she remembered. Kyle said that his best friend's name was Jack. _Fan-fucking-tastic_.

Maya glanced over at Kyle. He was looking at his lap, jaw clenched. She furrowed her brows. _What was he mad about_?

She looked back to Alex, she was smiling. Maya snorted. "What?".

Alex waggled her brows. "So you came to class with Jack, he's a total hottie. Like capital H hot".

Maya hid her face in her hands. "So what?".

Alex gasped. "Omg maybe he likes you!".

She put her hand over Alex's mouth. "Tell the whole world why don't you. And that's doubtful".

She rolled her eyes. "Is it because he's a senior? Because that totally doesn't even matter".

"No I guess it doesn't". She slapped Maya on the arm. "Owww!"

"He's looking at you!" She whisper yelled.

Maya furrowed her brows and turned her head. Jack _was_ looking at her. Her eyebrows shot up. He smiled and waved. She waved back and whipped her head around when she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"What the hell was that!" She whisper yelled to Alex.

"He's totally in to you". Maya shook her head and paid attention to the teacher. She glanced at Jon. He had a brow raised. She stuck her tongue out at him as he chuckled.

He motioned for her to come over. She heaved and told Alex she would be back. She gave Maya a wink.

She scoffed. "Please stop". Alex held her hands up in surrender.

Maya walked over when Ms. Hall told the class that they could move around the room freely. Jon was drawing God knows what in his sketchbook. Maya raised a brow at it.

"Don't ask." he closed the book and folded his hand on the table.

She eyed him. "What's up big bro?" she smiled.

Jon smiled and glanced over at Jack. "Dono yō ni anata no asa wa, tenshideshita ka?" (How was your morning, Angel?)

She rolled her eyes. "Daijōbu, watashi wa suisoku shimasu" (Okay, I guess).

She looked at Kyle. He was really quiet and not commenting on their "secret language". He was drawing in his sketchbook and ignoring everyone around him.

She furrowed her brows. "Kare no mondai wa nanidesu ka?" (What's his problem?).

Jon looked over at Kyle and shrugged. "Kami nomi ga, tenshi o shitte imasu" (God only knows, Angel).

She shrugged. "So, I'm coming to watch you tryout today right?".

He ran a hand down his face. "Yup. So you can witness my greatness".

She snorted. "Yeah...that".

He glared at her. "Whatever. See you after school, Tenshi".

She smiled. "Okay".

Maya sat back down with Alex. "You know Jack is on the soccer team too".

She rolled her eyes at Alex and bit back a smile.

.o.O.o.

After school Maya made it over to the soccer field and sat down on the bleachers. Practice wouldn't start for another twenty minutes. She saw Jon dribbling the ball up and down the field. None of the players were out on the field yet.

When Maya walked over to him, he stopped and put his hands on his knees. "It's hot as shit out here". He squinted at the sun.

She smiled. "Let me fix that for ya".

She looked up and moved some clouds over the sun and set in a nice cool breeze over the field. He sighed. "Thanks". She nodded.

She laid down on the field. Jon sat down next to her. She smiled at him. "You're going to do great you know". Maya could tell that he was a little nervous to prove himself. He nodded and looked out across the field. They were still the only ones out here.

She got back up and he followed suit. He kneed the ball, let it fallback to the ground then stared at it for a while. He looked at her and his eyebrows shot up.

She shook her head. "I know that look. You have an idea, and the answer is no".

He smiled. "But you don't even know what it is".

Maya crossed her arms. "Fine. Shoot".

He looked at the ball then to her. "Help me practice before the tryout".

Maya laughed. "Seriously? I haven't played soccer since Japan!".

He rolled his eyes. "And you were like the best one in your class, Tenshi!"

She still shook her head. "Sorry Jon, and these aren't even soccer playing clothes".

He pointed to the girls locker room behind them. She raised a brow. Jon threw a pair of shorts at her. She caught them before they hit her in the face.

Maya glared at him. "You planned this didn't you?".

He shrugged. "I need to practice with someone thats good. Now go, we have 15 minutes".

Maya slowly backed away. She turned around and started walking to the locker room.

"Hey Tenshi!" She turned around just in time to see the ball coming towards her. She gasped and kicked the ball up in the air. It came back down. She passed it from her chest to her knee and kicked it back to him.

Jon smiled and Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine, but when I come back I'm not going easy on you". He nodded.

She went into the locker room and changed into the shorts.

When Maya came back out onto the field, Jon had a few soccer balls lining the goal line.

She raised a brow. "You're serious about this aren't you?".

He scoffed. "Of course I am. Its my senior year. The time to be scouted by colleges is now".

Maya nodded and walked over to the soccer balls.

He watched her. "You remember how to play?".

She nodded. "How could I forget?".

He smirked and ran to the center of the field.

They used to always play this game. They called it _mirror me_. She would kick the ball to him a certain way and he would have to kick it into the goal the exact same way.

Maya smirked. "Ready?" She yelled to him.

Jon stretched a little and got into his stance. "Ready".

Maya took a deep breath and walked up to the first ball. She put her foot on it and kicked it up onto her knee then back down to her foot. With her foot, she kicked it up into the air. As it came back down she prepared herself. She stood back a little then launched herself into the air. She flipped herself sideways into the air and kicked the ball to him.

The ball soared through the air. When it reached Jon at the center of the field he mimicked her moves. He toed it, kneed it, then toed it into the air. He flipped and kicked the ball on its way down. The ball soared past her and sunk into the right pocket of the goal.

Maya smirked. "Nice".

He shrugged. "Stop playing around and speed this up".

Maya raised a brow, but did as she was told.

She toed the next ball into the air and turned her back to him. Once she knew she was lined up perfectly, she did a backflip and kicked the ball to him. He caught it with his foot and launched it back into the air. He backflipped and kicked it into her direction. When the ball sunk into the goal, Maya was already onto the next ball.

She kicked it into the air and waited for it to come back down. She kicked the ball behind her, then front flipped, tossing it to him. He mimicked her moves and sunk the ball into the goal.

They did that with the rest of the balls until he sunk every single one into the goal.

He smiled at her. "I knew you still had it".

He gave Maya a fist bump. "Dude, I never lost it". He laughed.

She checked the time and saw that practice started two minutes ago. _Why was no one out there yet_?

"Uhh...Maya?". Maya turned to Jon.

"What?". He looked behind her. She furrowed her brows and followed his gaze.

Her eyes widened. At least half of the team was out there. She recognized Kyle and Jack. They were all staring at... _her_?

Some of them looked at her in awe, others with something...else.

Jon stood in front of her and crossed his arms. "So she's good at soccer, but I would appreciate it if you didn't look at her like she's a zoo exhibit".

Maya scoffed. "They weren't looking at me like that, Jon".

They all mumbled something and went to warm up. Jon turned to Maya and took a deep breath.

She patted his shoulder. "You're going to do great. Don't stress". He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, Tenshi".

Maya ran off to the bleachers to watch. She pulled out her phone and earbuds, plugged them in, and put on some music.

She pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil. The trees looked like a nice thing to draw until they started.

She flipped to a new page and began to draw.

Maya was in the middle of bobbing her head to _Young Blood_ when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She squealed and fell back on her butt.

She looked up to see Jack chuckling. "Holy shit, Jack. You almost gave me a heart attack".

He shook his head and helped her up. Jack took a seat next to her. "Not possible".

She rolled her eyes. "Is that so doctor?" She gasped and held a hand to her heart dramatically.

He chuckled. "Point made".

She smiled and continued her drawing.

"So you play soccer. I like that". He was looking out onto the field. He glanced back down at her.

"Yeah I used to play back in Jap—"

"Dude, practice is about to start". Maya looked up to see Kyle. He was eyeing them suspiciously.

"Yeah dude, just one second". Jack turned back to her.

"So we have a game this Friday. You should come. There's going to be a party afterwards too". Maya glanced at Kyle, he was waiting impatiently. She noticed the clench in his jaw.

"I'll come to the game. I'll think about the party". He nodded and hopped off the bleachers. He patted Kyle on the shoulder and jogged off, giving her one more wave.

Kyle looked over his shoulder at him, then turned back to Maya.

She closed her sketchbook and walked down to him. He still had his jaw clenched. She didn't know why he was mad. Wasn't Jack his friend?

She cleared her throat. "Um...will you be at the party? What am I saying. Of course you'll be there, you're on the team. I'm assuming now...maybe you have plans or some—". She was trying to make conversation. After that awkward situation this morning, she felt like she needed to say something. She didn't know why, but she didn't like them being awkward.

He chuckled and she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

She looked at him through a tendril that fell in her eyes. He looked down at her and tucked the piece of hair behind her ear. Her eyes widened. She thought that he was angry with her. "Yeah I'll be there".

She nodded and took a deep breath. "You should get to practice".

He nodded and smirked. "Yeah...I'll see you...later". Maya nodded.

He jogged off onto the field. She sat back down and relaxed.

Jon was about to tryout. They let him be center forward for the scrimmage game.

He took a deep breath and looked over to her. She smiled and nodded.

He shook himself and ran a hand through his hair.

The whistle blew and he took off with the ball. He dribbled it past a few players then passed it to one of his teammates. His teammate passed it to the person on his left. Jon was open down by the goal line. He waved a hand. The boy kicked the ball to him. Jon jumped and flipped to the side.

He kicked the ball and it sunk into the right corner pocket. Maya jumped up and cheered for him.

He looked to the bleachers and bowed a little. Maya smiled at him.

His teammates patted him on the back. He laughed and returned back to the center of the field.

The whistle blew again and now Jon was on defense. He eyed the person with the ball. The boy dribbled the ball down the field. Maya knew that Jon could tell that he was dominant with his right leg.

Jon smiled and rushed him. He twirled around one of the defenders, making him confused. She laughed.

Jon slid down and swiped the ball from his feet. He got back up and toed the ball to his teammate. He then toed it to Jack then he passed it to Kyle and he kicked it into the goal.

Jon shot his fist into the air. He got multiple high fives.

The coach stopped the scrimmage and pulled Jon off to the side. Maya bit her lip nervously. He wasn't too good was he?

She saw the coach smile and say something to Jon. He had his water bottle in his hand. He took a sip and nodded. The coach patted him on the back. Jon jogged back to the field. The coach blowed his whistle. "Ten laps around the field!".

They all sighed. Maya raised a brow at Jon. He slightly nodded.

She squealed, ran out onto the field, and launched herself at him. He laughed and picked her up.

Her eyes widened. "Dude! You were SO awesome out there! I'm so happy for you". She got down.

He laughed. "I know. God that was so exhilarating. I missed this".

She nodded. His eyes widened. "You have to come to the game on Friday, coach is putting me in".

She rolled her eyes. "Dude! Of course I'm coming". He hugged her again before running to the side of the field to follow the others.

She called after him. He turned around.

"I'm gonna head home okay?". He smiled and nodded.

Maya ran to the bleachers to grab her stuff. Jon had already caught up with the rest of the team.

She saw Jack wave goodbye before she left the field. She smiled before running to her bike, helmet in hand.

She slipped it on and hopped onto her bike. She revved the engine and took off back home.

.o.O.o.

Maya was sketching for the project when Jon walked in.

"How was practice?" She asked.

He was sweaty and out of breath. "That coach is no joke. He's the real deal". He collapsed on my bed.

Maya laughed and kicked him. "I see".

He winced. "Careful Tenshi, I'm sensitive right now".

She rolled her eyes. "Poor baby. Go take a nice warm bath".

He scoffed at her "I am not a child".

He looked up at her sketch. He turned onto his stomach and rested his head on his hands. "Watcha drawing?".

She rolled her eyes. "It's for my art project with Kyle. We have to draw a portrait of each other using the information we got from the questions we answered. Just to let you know, because I know you haven't started yet.".

She put down the green pencil and sighed. "I just can't get his stupid eyes right".

He shrugged. "Ask him to come over. You draw better from observation than imagination".

She raised a brow at him. He scoffed. "Don't look at me like that. I pay attention...most of the time. Now text him so you can stop stressing. You turn into a real bitch when you're artistically frustrated".

She gaped at him and slapped the back of his head. "I do not!".

He rubbed the back of his head. "My abused body begs to differ".

She pouted. "Boohoo. Get out".

He chuckled. "Just text him already". She stuck her tongue out at him as he left.

Moments later she heard the shower turn on. She sighed and pulled out her phone.

How soon can you get here? ~A

 _As soon as I'm done showering. Why?_ ~K

As my brother put it. I'm 'artistically frustrated'. ~A

 _Over?_ ~K

The project! I can't get your stupid eyes right! ~A

 _Okay. One: My eyes are not stupid, more like mesmerizing. Two: Do you think your eyes are any easier?!_ ~K

Come over when you're done. Doors unlocked. My room is the last one on the right. :) ~A

 _Yeah because why come downstairs and invite me in._ ~K

Just shut up and shower! ~A

 _Yes ma'am._ ~K

OMG Stop! ~A

 _Shhh. I'm showering._ ~K

Whatever. Just come over when you're done. ~A

 _Okey Dokey ;)_ ~K

Maya put her phone down and smiled. He was so lame. She heard the shower turn off.

"Jon!" She screamed.

"I'm moisturizing!". She turned her nose up.

"TMI! Kyle is coming over. So don't scream like a girl when you hear the door open!".

Maya could practically feel him scoffing. "Fine! And my scream sounds like a man's scream!".

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night!".

"Ha. Ha". Maya laughed and pulled out her phone.

She put in her headphones and blasted _Enemy Fire._

She got up and sang along.

"Who's a friend, who's an enemy

'Cause sometimes they look the same to me". She bobbed her head to the music.

She walked over to her window, opened the curtains, and twirled around.

"It's like playing with a loaded gun

Who knows what truth is?

How do you prove it?

I swear I see you watching me, well

Oh, oh, oh

Come a little closer

Oh, oh, oh

You could be my soldier

Oh, oh, oh

Keeping me safe from all who conspire

Enemy fire!"

Maya smiled and continued to twirl around. She jumped onto her bed and flopped back down. She slowly backed away and jumped around her room, belting the lyrics. She laughed to herself and continued the song.

"Burn a hole through the plastic crowd

'Cause I've been trying to find the way out

It's so confusing but never amusing

Sweet smiles in the aftermath

Turned to whispering behind my back

I need an ally to guard the night time

Someone to keep me from these crazies"

Maya was a good dancer, but sometimes she liked to just do random things. She was also a better singer than how she was currently singing. She was just...living.

"All around me I hear cries

And bombs are falling from the skies

Can't you help me save my life?". She was twirling in the center of her room.

She bobbed her head to the chorus and whipped her head around.

Maya turned to see Kyle leaning in the doorway, an amused smirk on his face.

Her eyes widened. He dropped his book bag. "Having fun?".

She paused the music and took her earbuds out. "Maybe. Just trying to relieve my 'artistic frustration'" She used air quotes.

He chuckled. "Okay".

She bit her lip. "Lets just never mention that, like ever again".

He agreed. She grabbed her sketchbook.

"Okay so I've been racking my brain over this project. Something's just not right. So my brother suggested that I draw from observation rather than imagination".

He nodded. "You said and I quote 'I can't get your stupid eyes right'". He looked down at his phone.

She looked away. "Yeah that was a little mean".

He shook his head. "It's nothing".

Maya eyed his sketchbook. "So how is your drawing coming along?". He flipped to the page with her portrait and handed it to her.

She looked at it and her eyes widened. The girl on the page was beautiful. He didn't even add any color to the drawing yet. It looked nothing like her.

She eyed it some more then looked up at him. "I see your problem. This looks nothing like me". He moved beside her. She held her breath. He smelled like...mangoes and sunshine?

 _Who the hell smells like sunshine?!_

He looked down at the drawing and furrowed his brows. He looked back to her and shrugged. "I think it looks like you. I just need more details".

Maya scoffed. "You're joking right? The girl in this drawing is beautiful. It doesn't look like me".

She handed it back to him. He just shrugged. "Hey. I just draw what I see".

She laughed. "Well you must see something completely different".

He eyed me suspiciously. "Can I ask you a question?".

She shrugged. "Sure". She was looking down at my drawing, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Why are you so insecure?". Maya tensed and probably squeaked. She bit her lip nervously.

"You don't have to answer". She nodded slightly.

Maya ripped out her drawing and balled it up. "I need to start over". She flipped to a new page and began to outline his face and jawline.

Kyle raised a brow. "Stay still". He scoffed. "For how long?".

Maya smiled. "Until I'm done".

He sighed. She smelled his cologne or whatever it was again. She put the pencil down. "Your cologne or aftershave is really distracting".

He furrowed his brows and sniffed his shirt. "I'm not wearing any cologne...or aftershave".

She felt heat rise to her cheeks. So he naturally smells like _that_.

She shook her head. "You know what? It doesn't even matter".

He shrugged and went back to staying still.

She continued to draw until she had everything outlined. Now she just needed to add the color.

She looked up at him. "You are free to move". He moved his neck and sighed. "Finally".

She looked through her box of colored pencils and held up multiple greens to his eyes. He raised a brow. "What are you doing?".

She bit her lip and put a couple of greens back. "I'm trying to find the right eye color". She growled when she couldn't find the right color.

He grabbed the box and looked through it. He handed her a green. She eyed it before holding it up to him.

She gasped. "It's perfect! How did I not see this!". He chuckled.

Maya took the brown colored pencil and began to color his eyes. Once she got the perfect blend of hazel and green, she smiled. She held it up and squealed. "Finally!".

Kyle smiled. "Okay now it's your turn to help me".

She nodded. "What's up?".

He put his pencil in between his teeth then plucked it out. "It's your eyes..." He looked down into her eyes.

Her eyes locked with his involuntarily. His hand came up to her face. She felt his thumb swipe across the space below her eye.

"What about them?" She said in a small voice, almost a whisper.

"It's like a mixture between gray, silver, and white". His face was close to hers. She held her breath.

"I'm sorry that they're giving you trouble. They're...strange". He shook his head and dropped his hand.

He smiled. "Strange wasn't the word I was thinking of".

She shook her head and went into her colored pencil box. She pulled out a few grays, a silver, and a white. She handed them to him. "Here. Blend these together".

He shrugged and took them. He began to color them in, glancing up at her eyes from time to time.

She stayed still until he was finished. He closed the book when he was done. He stood up. "Can you finish the rest on your own?".

She nodded, a little disappointed that he was leaving. She didn't even know why she was disappointed.

"Cool. So I guess we'll see on Friday". He smiled and put the colored pencils back into the box.

She nodded. "Yeah. Of course".

Kyle nodded as Maya walked with him downstairs. She opened the door and he walked out. He turned to her. "Later Neighbor". He waved before jogging off.

"Bye". She closed the door and took a deep breath. She furrowed her brows, but shook her head and went back upstairs. She was so confused.


	10. Into the Woods

AN: The chapters will probably be this long from now on. Keep in mind that I will be posting everyday for as long as I can Xx

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Friday. The word itself excited her.

Maya didn't groan as she got up that morning. Today was going to be fun. She would get to see Jon play on his new team for the first time. She wasn't missing that.

Maya got out of bed and took her morning shower. She followed suit with the rest of her routine, before getting dressed.

She picked out a pair of black leggings, combat boots, and a white cropped sweater.

Maya arrived to school with Jon trailing behind. After parking her bike, she went inside. She made sure that she had her sketchbook because she worked really hard on that project.

Maya put her stuff into her locker, happy to see no one making out on it.

She walked to art and took her seat next to Alex. Alex smiled when Maya sat down. "So...planning on going to the after party tonight?".

Maya shrugged. "Maybe, just to watch my brother. Keep him from doing something stupid. You?".

She scoffed. "No thanks. I get enough of these people at school". Maya laughed.

Ms. Hall walked in after the bell rang. "Okay children. It is presentation time" she clapped her hands together and smiled. "First up: Alex and Stephanie".

Alex stood up and explained her drawing of Stephanie, and vice versa. Their drawings weren't bad.

"Okay next is: Kyle and Amaya".

Maya hopped up from her seat. Kyle smiled and made his way to the front of the classroom. He decided to go first.

He flipped the pages in his sketchbook until he reached the one of Maya. She gasped. It was beautiful.

Above Maya's head was a swirl of piano keys and notes. He found some Japanese symbols and drew them to represent her language diversity. He also had some art supplies. There was a lot more to it.

She gaped at him. "Wow". He shrugged. She was so busy admiring the drawing that she didn't hear him explain it.

She flipped the pages in her sketchbook until she found his drawing.

Above his head were video game controllers, a guitar, a mirror, and a zombie in the top corner. There was also a brick wall to represent the walls that he puts up.

She explained every element except the guitar and the wall because that was personal.

They both finished their presentation and sat back down.

The rest of the class presented with the remaining time.

.o.O.o.

After school Alex dragged Maya to her house. Something about getting her ready for the game.

She pulled Maya into her closet and tossed some stuff at her. Maya caught them before they smacked her in the face. She raised a brow at Alex.

"Our school colors are white and yellow. So wear this stuff to the game and the party". She shrugged and went to go put it on.

Alex gave her a yellow shirt and light colored ripped jeans. She told me to change into my white converses. She was really bossy, but how could she say no to Alex!

Maya did as she was told and slipped on the shoes. Alex smiled to herself. "I am so gonna be a fashion consultant".

Maya laughed at her. Alex pushed her out of her door. "The game starts soon, hurry!"

She giggled. "Okay. Okay. I'm going".

Alex waved goodbye and went back to her room.

Maya hopped onto her bike and slipped on her helmet. She revved the engine and took off to the school.

She parked and made her way over to the crowded field. She saw her brother on the sideline, ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"You're going to do great". He nodded and took a deep breath. He looked out onto the field and put a determined look on his face.

"If you need me, I'll be the one in the crowd screaming the loudest". Jon smiled and hugged her again.

"Mom texted me earlier to tell me that she's coming". Maya smiled.

"That's great". He nodded. The coach blew the whistle.

He let out a breath. "That's my cue". He waved as he jogged off to the coach. She walked back to the bleachers.

Maya saw Stephanie motion for her to sit down next to her. She smiled and took the seat.

They made small talk until the game started.

The whistle blew again and the players took their positions. Jon looked nice and focused, which was good. Maya glanced over at Stephanie, she had a far off look on her face.

Maya snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Earth to Stephanie".

She blushed and looked away. "Sorry".

Maya smiled. "What's up?".

She fumbled with her fingers. "I may or may not have a tiny crush on your brother".

Finally! This was the kind of girl that Maya approved of. Not those bimbos or skanks that Jon usually talks to.

"My heart goes out to you two. I ship it". Stephanie rolled her eyes and giggled.

Maya smiled. "But seriously. I like you, you would be good for him". Her eyes lit up and she smiled at Maya.

She looked back to the field. No one scored yet.

The other team looked good. Maya knew that Jon was analyzing the players. He liked to do that in order to predict their movements.

She saw him talk to a few of his teammates. She guessed that he was giving them the information he picked up on the other team. They seemed to all agree on something.

Out of nowhere Jon slipped in and kicked the ball from the guy's feet and toed it to Kyle. Kyle dribbled it down the field, passing 3 defenders. Maya's eyes widened as he got closer to the goal.

He passed it back to Jon to score. Jon stopped in front of the goal and kicked the ball in the air. He turned around and did a backflip. He kicked the ball with enough force to knock it into the left corner pocket.

The crowd practically screamed. Jon gave Kyle a fist bump and ran around the field. She cheered for Jon.

The score was now 1-0. The other team's coach called for a timeout.

They all huddled together. He was probably telling them to pay more attention to Jon.

"Wow". Maya looked down to see Stephanie looking at Jon in awe. She laughed. "Yeah he's not half bad".

Stephanie laughed and went back to watching.

There wasn't much time left in the game. Their team just had to play good defense. Which they did.

The final score was 1-0. The whole crowd cheered and ran out onto the field. They were chanting "Fray. Fray. Fray". Jon ran up to Maya and hugged her.

She laughed. "You won!". He laughed.

Kyle came up to him. He smiled at her before turning to Jon. "Dude that was NICE". He gave him a fist bump and patted his back.

"That was your pass bro". Kyle chuckled.

"But it was your steal in the first place". He glanced over at her again then turned back to Jon. "So we're heading off to the party later. I need a shower and a change of clothes so I'll see you there". Jon nodded. Kyle jogged off but not before waving to her. She smiled and waved back.

Jon looked from the two of them and furrowed his brows. Maya shook her head. He shrugged and walked off. He said hello to Stephanie before leaving. Her eyes widened but she waved. Maya smiled.

Her smile fell as soon as she turned around. Kyle was standing off to the side of the field with Ash.

She was wearing a tight cheerleader uniform. The thought of Ash being a cheerleader didn't surprise her at all.

She was kissing him. Her tongue was practically down his throat. Maya's nose turned up in disgust.

She rolled her eyes and left the two to make out or whatever that was. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes were void of emotion when they broke apart. Aren't guys supposed to look at their girlfriend with...affection?

Maya walked to the parking lot and made her way home. She parked her bike, took off her helmet, and looked up at the night sky. She waited for Jon to come out so that they could go to the party together.

She was leaning on her bike for a good five minutes when the front door opened. Jon was sprinting to his car. She raised a brow and hooped onto her bike. "In a hurry?".

He smirked. "Maybe". Jon got into the front seat of his Bentley and started the car. Maya put her helmet on and revved the engine.

The air was a little chilly so she put on her leather jacket. The stars were shining bright, no clouds in sight.

He took off first, and let her follow him to whoever's house they were going to.

The house wasn't even that far away. She could have walked there.

Maya cursed Jon for making her use her gas for this.

When they arrived, they saw multiple cars in the driveway and down the street. She parked her bike down the street just to be safe.

She cut the engine and went inside with Jon. As soon as they opened the door they were hit with loud music and loud voices.

Maya's eyes widened. A couple of Jon's teammates came up to him. "Nice job tonight Dude!". They cheered. He thanked them and put his arm around her shoulder. The one who spoke turned to her. "Maya right?".

She nodded. He smiled. "I'm Josh".

Maya nodded again and saw Stephanie in the crowd of people.

"I see someone. I'll chat at you later". Jon nodded and let her go.

She ran over to Stephanie. She giggled as Maya got closer. "Wow. I feel so loved". Maya laughed.

"Yeah sorry for ambushing you. I just had to get away from the jocks". She cocked a thumb over her shoulder. Stephanie nodded. "Yeah they're idiots".

She agreed. Stephanie pulled her to the crowd and started dancing. Maya saw Kyle in the crowd talking to one of his friends with Ash hanging off his arm. She was now wearing a tight black dress and sparkly heels. The dress barely came to her mid thigh. She looked like a total skank.

Maya cursed herself for being jealous again. _He's taken, not that she should care_. After a couple of upbeat songs, the DJ decided to play a slow song.

They looked awkward. She knew how to dance, but she didn't have a partner.

Stephanie took the lead. She cleared her throat and faked a deep voice. "May I have this dance". She held her hand out.

Maya laughed. "As long as you promise to never use that voice again".

She rolled her eyes. "It was good! But deal".

Maya smiled and held her heart dramatically. "Oh why of course you can" she said in a British accent.

Stephanie laughed as Maya took her hand. They twirled around each other. She leaped dramatically in the air. Stephanie couldn't stop laughing.

They just played around until Jon came up beside them. He looked to Maya then to Stephanie.

He smiled. "Do you mind if I cut in?". Stephanie nodded and started to back away, her cheeks flushing.

Maya stopped her. "He wants to dance with you, not me". Her eyebrows shot up then she furrowed them. "Me?".

He smiled and nodded. Maya backed up slightly. Stephanie looked to her and mouthed 'Oh my God'. She laughed, pointed to Jon and made a heart with her fingers. Her cheeks got impossibly redder. She looked back to Jon. "Um...okay".

She took his hand and they slowly started dancing. She had a big smile on her face. Maya knew Jon liked her.

She saw some of the jealous looks being shot in Stephanie's way. Maya rolled my eyes at the stupid bimbos. She backed away and collided with someone.

She spun around to assess the damage she did and looked up to see Kyle.

He smiled. "Are we ever going to stop meeting like this?".

She smiled and shook her head. "Nah. It's too much of a routine now".

He chuckled. She looked for his girlfriend. "Where's Ash?".

He shrugged and glanced around once. "Somewhere".

"There you are!". Her high pitched voice rang out through the crowd. She hung back on his arm and stumbled slightly. Okay so she's been drinking.

He looked...annoyed. She backed away from the awkward situation. "Later Kyle".

"Bye Maya". He looked at her like he wanted help. She smiled and made her way over to the hallway. She could still see Jon and Kyle so that was good.

Josh walked up to her and smiled. "Hey".

She smiled weakly. "Hey". He looked her up and down. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"You're not much of a party girl are you?". She looked to make sure she could still see Jon and looked back to Josh.

"If you're implying that I don't make a living off of it then yes". He laughed.

He handed her a cup. "Punch?". She shrugged and took the cup. He watched her drink it and smiled.

Maya gave him a weird look. "Want to dance?". She shrugged and let him lead her into the crowd of people.

The slow song was over and the music turned to a nice paced song. She danced with him, there was a nice distance between them. The music was loud so they didn't talk. She drank more of her punch until she finished it. She set the cup down, closed her eyes, and twirled around. She danced to the music, she felt strange and light.

Maya felt Josh pull her closer. "Don't". She stepped back.

She began to feel really lightheaded. "Come on babe".

Her vision got clouded and she felt her body start to lose sensation.

He snaked his arm around her waist and began walking. She stopped and shook her head. "Come on babe lets go somewhere more...private"

Maya turned around to try and spot Jon, but everything was spinning. She felt the chill of the night air and guessed that he took them outside.

She felt her back hit a cold surface, the side of the house she was guessing. After a moment, she felt lips on her neck. She shook her head and tried to squirm away. "Stop".

He continued and held her tighter. She opened her eyes to see clouds forming. _She wasn't doing that was she?_

"Just relax." he said. Maya shook her head and squirmed a little more forcefully.

"No, I said stop." He didn't listen. His face came close to hers.

Suddenly he was yanked away from her and slammed into the side of the house. "Are you fucking deaf? She said stop".

She knew that voice. "Kyle?" She was still slightly delirious.

"Dude. We were just having a little fun." Her vision cleared a little.

She was able to look over at Kyle. He was giving Josh a death glare. He held him by the collar. "It didn't sound like she was having fun."

Josh smirked. "Not yet".

He didn't have time to react before Kyle punched him in the jaw. People began to crowd around. Kyle threw him to the side. "Shut the hell up".

The wind began to pick up as her vision blurred again. She felt hands grab her shoulders. "Maya? Can you hear me?" It was Kyle.

His voice sounded distant. "Kyle?".

He cursed. "Shit."

"What the hell is going on?". Maya heard Jon's voice through the crowd of people.

.o.O.o.

 _"_ What the hell is going on?". Jon looked over to Josh who was stumbling back onto his feet.

He looked at Maya and his eyes widened. "What the hell?" Kyle was trying to get her attention.

Jon pushed him aside for a moment and held her shoulders. "Tenshi... What the hell is wrong with you?".

She had a far off look. He didn't...

She held a hand to her head. "Drank...something..." Kyle looked up to see clouds rolling in. During the night? The wind picked up. He furrowed his brows.

Jon turned his attention to Josh. His glare was the scariest shit Kyle had ever seen.

Jon grabbed Josh by the collar. "YOU ROOFIED MY SISTER!". He held his hands up in surrender. "No."

Kyle knew Josh did, it wasn't the first time. Jon punched him in the face. "You're a fucking liar."

He punched him over and over, threw him to the ground and continued his assault. Kyle's eyes widened at the scene before him.

Anyone who knows Jon knows that he doesn't get angry. He's always smiling, but the look he had now was deadly.

The wind blew harder and the clouds turned abnormally dark. _What the hell?_

He heard the crackle of thunder. Josh's face was bloody and he curled on himself. Jon wasn't stopping. He picked Josh up and slammed him back down.

Kyle decided to step in. "Dude. Stop you're going to kill him". He grabbed his arm to hold him back. Jon snatched himself out of his grip.

"Let me fucking kill him. He's a fucking coward anyway." Kyle shook his head and put his hand on Jon's shoulder.

"Jon!" They both turned to Maya. She was still leaning against the house.

"Shit." Jon got up, but not before kicking Josh in the gut first.

They went back over to her. The wind whipped around them and the thunder crackled louder, the dark clouds making it creepy dark. Most of the people went back inside.

It was just them and Josh. Kyle saw a flash of lightning and the harsh wind continued to whip around them. The ground shook a little beneath them. "What the hell is going on!" He yelled over the wind.

Jon ignored him and looked at his sister. "Maya, what's going on?".

Her eyes were wide. "Jon, I don't know what's happening. I...I can't control it".

His eyes widened. "Oh fuck".

Kyle furrowed his brows. He was beyond confused. "What do you mean you can't control it? Control what?"

The ground shook again and the wind sped up. Was she doing that? No that's impossible...right?

Maya was delirious. Her eyes were beginning to close. The thunder cracked again.

Jon ran a hand through his hair and looked around frantically.

He looked back to Kyle and his eyes widened. "Where's the nearest lake?".

He furrowed his brows. "Why? Shouldn't we just take her inside?".

"She needs to be jolted awake." Jon mumbled to himself.

"Just answer the damn question! There's not much time!". Kyle sighed and thought about the lake in the woods.

"There's a lake in the woods a couple blocks from here." Jon nodded.

"Can you get her there?" His voice was trying to stay calm.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah." _Why would he need to take her to the lake now?_

Lighting struck not far from them and the ground shook again. He started to connect some dots.

Kyle looked at Jon with wide eyes. "Is she doing this?!"

Jon was trying to stay calm. "Listen to me! When you get her to the lake, throw her in. Don't ask questions just do it. I'll stay here to deal with this asshole. Now go!"

Kyle furrowed his brows. He didn't know what the hell was going on.

He figured he could ask questions later. The wind blew harder and he saw that she was about to fall.

He picked her up bridal style and held her close. Her eyes were closed. Thunder cracked again.

He started towards the woods. "Oh and Kyle?" He turned back to Jon. "What?"

"Run." He nodded and turned around. Before Kyle took off Jon called him again. He turned to Jon with a brow raised.

"And one last thing; Don't freak out." His eyes widened at the possibilities, but he nodded.

Kyle took of into a sprint to the back of the house. He took a breath and looked at the woods. He shook his head and took off into the woods.

He ran past trees and bushes, ducked branches, and jumped over logs. After a moment he felt her arms wrap around his neck. He thought he stopped breathing for a second.

He still ran as fast as he could without falling. The wind was still whipping them around and the crack of thunder sounded again.

There were no stars in sight and he could barely see the moon.

Kyle continued to run until he saw the small peer in front of him. He held her tighter for a second and took a deep breath as he walked to the edge of it. He couldn't just going to throw her in there. _What if she drowned?_

He checked his pockets, took out his phone, and tossed it into the grass. He saw lightning then the loud crackle of thunder followed.

He made sure she didn't have her phone. He saw it in her pocket and tossed it on the ground with his.

Kyle looked out at the water.

"Oh fuck it." He jumped.

.o.O.o.

Maya felt the shock of coldness as she opened her eyes. She was under water.

She looked up to the surface, swam to it and gasped as she broke through the surface. She wiped her face and looked around. Kyle was wiping the wet hair out of his eyes.

She was coughing up water. Could this night get any worse for her? She looked around and saw the chaos that she created. The sky was covered in dark clouds, she could hear the crackle of thunder and the ground was shaking. The wind was blowing abnormally fast, whipping around so hard that she could barely hear.

Maya's eyes widened. Kyle swam over to her.

"Oh my God." She was frantic.

He was looking at her. She sighed and looked at her surroundings.

"Damn it." She had to stop it. Which meant Kyle would have to see her use her powers.

She looked to him, eyes wide. "I...I didn't want you to find out this way". He looked confused.

Maya sighed and looked up to the sky. Her eyes sparked, the clouds turned back to normal then cleared from the sky. She let out a slow breath and the wind stopped.

Her eyes sparked again and the ground stopped shaking. She let out a relieved sigh. That was close.

She choked on more water and coughed it up. He swam to her side, and before she knew what was happening, he picked her up bridal style and swam to the edge of the lake.

He walked the rest of the way. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Kyle walked a few feet away from the lake, put her down, and collapsed next to her. He laid on his back and looked up.

Maya coughed to get the rest of the water out.

"So...you mind telling me what you are?"His voice shocked her. She didn't think he would be the one to break the silence.

Maya scoffed and wiped the hair out of her face. "I'm not a goddamn alien if that's what you're asking."

He grimaced. "Oh, but that would have been so much cooler."

She rolled her eyes. _Did he really have to be such an idiot?_ "Of course. You're the one who believes in Zombie apocalypses."

He cracked a smile. "They are completely possible, but that's not the point".

She feigned innocence. "So what is the point?"

Kyle gave her a look that said 'seriously'. She groaned. "Fine. You want the whole story?".

He closed his eyes and shrugged. "Sure. We've got the time."

Maya laid back beside him. She heard his breath hitch, but ignored it.

"So I moved in with the Fray's when I was seven years old. Even at that age I remembered the fucked up life I had before that. Like I told you, the home I was in before wasn't good. I'm not going to get into the specifics though. Not now. When I moved in with them I always kept to myself. I wanted to wait this new family out because I didn't want to trust anyone. Jon's mom was so...nice. I'd never been treated with actual kindness before. It was shocking really."

They were both looking up at the stars as she spoke.

"Then there was Jon. At first I was afraid of him. I was a small kid and you see how tall he is. I always hid from him when he tried to talk to me". She laughed a little at the memory.

"I think I did that for about a year. After the year passed I saw that they weren't just faking this whole being nice thing. I finally let them in and it was great.

I was so happy because I had a family that cared about me. I told her, my mom, how I was still scared to live in the same area as my other foster parents.

So you know what she did for me?"

Kyle looked at her. She had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and took a deep breath. He grabbed her hand. Maya gasped, but didn't look at him. She had a small smile on her face. He gave her hand a small squeeze and she continued.

"She packed our bags and moved us to Japan. She moved across the world for me. For _me_. And you know what she said when we got there? She said: 'Is this far enough?'

That explains why Jon and I know Japanese."

He interrupted her. "You mean your secret language?" he smiled.

She laughed. "You're an idiot. Like I was saying...

Japan was like the greatest place ever. Mom already knew some Japanese so Japan was a good place to start for her. She got this really good job too. Jon and I began to do everything together. You would think that a nine year old boy would think girls had cooties or Jon had always been there for me.

I found out about my powers when I was twelve and Jon was thirteen. It was actually an accident, me finding out I mean.

One day these high schoolers were making fun of Jon. Jon and I were always good at soccer. We played a lot back in Japan. Anyway...those kids were always jealous of him and he was only in middle school. They were like Juniors.

I think their school coach offered Jon a good position on the team. I guess he took one of their spots, because they weren't happy.

One of the boys told Jon that he wasn't playing on the team. I remember them ganging up on him. It was like five to one.

Jon shoved me behind him and whispered for me to run. After everything he's done to protect me I wasn't leaving. I was stubborn." Maya laughed.

"The guys were taunting him and I remember thinking that it was so unfair. Why did this have to happen to Jon?

One of the boys punched and then they all started to beat on him after that. He fell to the ground and I remember how he still tried to tell me to run. And you could guess that I didn't listen. Even twelve year old me had some fire in her."

Kyle chuckled at that.

"I tried to pull them off, but imagine trying to fight off teenagers at that age. One of the guys held me back and made me watch them beat Jon. I got so angry. I was literally shaking with anger.

And that's when it happened. I remember my eyes sparking and the wind picking up. The dark clouds rolled over us and then I bolt of lightning came down. It was so close to them that they stopped. I don't think I will ever forget the look on their faces. They were cowards. The boy holding me back dropped me and ran away with the rest of his friends."

She smiled.

"Jon's eyes were wide, like almost popping out of his head. He was clearly in shock. When I helped him up, he kept asking what happened. I told him that I think I did it. He didn't believe me at first.

I tried to do something else to prove it to him. So I looked up and cleared every cloud from the sky. Its like I think of something and it happens. It shocked Jon, but of course being thirteen he thought they were cool. We just swore never to tell anyone.

Over the years he's helped me to control them. I've also figured out that I could do other things. I don't think I had control of them until we moved to Florida when I was fourteen. Granted I still can't control them fully.

Sometimes my emotions get in the way and things go wrong. But Jon is usually there to calm me back down. Florida was fine. I didn't accidentally expose myself to anyone. I was actually kind of invisible with Jon. He was always the fun one and the popular one.

When we moved here things were going okay. I had my powers under control. That's until you came along."

Kyle's eyebrows rose. Maya smiled.

"You totally pissed me off with all your cockiness and your constant sarcastic remarks. God I hated you for making me lose control. I guess you never really noticed the sky get darker or the crackle of thunder every time you said something that annoyed me."

He looked surprised. "So that was you?". She nodded.

"Yeah...and the thing with your room. I'm sorry about that by the way. But I did some good things too. The plants in your bathroom. Yeah they were dying. I nursed them back to health."

"So you like nature?" He asked looking over at her. She nodded.

"I love it. Always have. Its a part of me."

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

"So what exactly can you do?" He raised a brow. She noticed that he still held her hand.

She sighed. "I can control the elements of nature."

He raised a brow. "What are the elements of nature?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Someone pays attention in Science."

He scoffed playfully. "Show me."

She looked out at the lake. "You're...interested?"

He nodded and put a hand behind his head. "Yes hence me saying 'show me'."

 _Okay so, sarcastic Kyle was back_.

She slapped his arm with her free hand. He faked hurt.

Maya looked up. "Okay so there are four elements of nature that exist."

"And you can control all of them." He made it more like a statement. She nodded. "Yes now shut up and watch."

Kyle smirked. "Yes ma'am." Maya glared at him before continuing.

"The first is water." She raised her hand and pointed it towards the lake. She pulled some water from the lake and made it into a ball. He sat up, eyes wide.

"Woah." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I can also manipulate the water." She showed him by holding her palm all the way out and sat up with him. The ball of water froze until it was solid ice. He smiled as she closed her hand into a fist and the ball of ice melted.

Maya thought about the next element.

"There's air which you saw earlier with all the wind." She opened her eyes and looked up. Her eyes sparked as she sucked in a sharp breath. A strong gust of wind flew past them and practically knocked him over. Maya laughed, picked up a rock and levitated it above her hand.

She dropped the rock and moved on to the next element. "Then there's earth."

He raised a brow. "That's pretty vague." She snorted. "Just watch."

Maya stared at the space in front of them. She held out a hand and let out a slow breath. Her eyes sparked as a rose grew out of the ground.

Kyle's eyebrows rose. He picked it out of the ground and looked at it. "Cool."

He handed it to me. "Thanks." She smelled it and put it down.

He snapped. "You can like cure deforestation."

She laughed. "Maybe one day."

"You said there were four. What's the last one?"

Maya smiled. "I think you'll like this one."

Kyle raised a brow. "Will I now?"

She nodded. "The last element is fire." She snapped her fingers and a small flame hovered above them, similar to a lighter.

His eyes widened. "That is insane." I laughed. She saw a pile a sticks near them and made the ball of fire grow.

He raised a brow. She rolled her eyes. "What? Aren't you cold?" He nodded.

"Okay then." Maya threw the ball of fire at the sticks. The fire grew and gave them instant warmth.

She laid back down. He looked down at her as she closed her eyes. "There. Now you know everything. Well most of it."

He chuckled. "Well I'm glad that you told me." She nodded. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone. My mom doesn't even know."

He scoffed. "I wouldn't do that. Nobody would believe me anyway. These people have no imagination."

She laughed. "Well your imagination is perfectly fine. You thought I was an Alien! That's insane."

He nodded. "You got me there." He laid down next to her.

"But it feels nice to be able to tell someone else. Now I don't have to hide them around you anymore." She let out a breath.

"If you need someone to talk to, besides Jon, I'll always listen."

Maya smiled. "Thanks." The fire crackled.

"So your eyes sparkle when you use your powers?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. That's what Jon says."

Kyle nodded. "It looks nice." Maya looked away as heat rose to her cheeks. She didn't get many compliments so when she does its really weird.

"Thanks." she mumbled.

He laughed. "We should head back. I left your brother with Josh, he may have killed him."

Maya scoffed. "That asshole."

He nodded and helped her up. She looked around the woods and it finally settled in her head where they were. "You came all the way out here for me?" He nodded and grabbed her hand.

She swiped her other hand to put out the fire. "Okay. Let's go."

He smiled and shook his head. "Will I ever get used to this?"

She pretended to think about it. "Nah, Probably not."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on."


	11. Nightmares

*Lyrics to _Force of Nature_ belong to Bea Miller*

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Maya followed Kyle back through the woods after they got their phones. They walked until she almost fell over a log. He caught her and chuckled.

"Yeah, I didn't really have time to find a flashlight."

She shook her head, righted herself, then snapped her fingers to make a little flame. They could finally see.

He smiled. "Almost there."

Maya became very conscious about his hand in hers. She knew the action wasn't meant to be intimate, but no guy had ever held her hand before. After a while, the house became visible through the trees.

She put the fire out in fear of being seen. As soon as it was out she tripped again. Kyle caught her and pulled her closer to him. Her breath hitched and heat flooded to her cheeks. _God, she was acting like such a girl!_

She looked away "How in the hell did you get through here? I'm about to break my neck."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Determination?"

She shook her head. "Sure."

They finally got out of the woods and started towards the house. She let go of his hand and awkwardly put it down at her side.

Kyle shoved his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. Maya looked around. "Did Jon say where he was going?"

He thought about it for a second. "He said he was staying to deal with Josh."

She nodded and walked to the front door. There was no telling what Jon did with Josh. Kyle followed behind her. As soon as Maya walked through the door, she was hit with the smell of alcohol. Her nose turned up at the smell. She was not a fan.

Most of the people were gone, probably to escape the storm she caused. She walked further into the house and saw that the living room was a mess.

In the corner she saw someone laying on the floor, passed out obviously. She saw sparkly heels and tried to contain her laughter.

It was Ash, and she looked terrible. Her dress had ridden up and made it even shorter. Her hair was a mess and her makeup was smudged.

Maya looked over to Kyle and she knew he recognized her. He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Shit."

Maya furrowed her brows at Ash's body. "Does she usually get this...trashed?"

Kyle had an annoyed look on his face. "Yeah, pretty much. I should take her home." Maya nodded just as the door opened.

Jon walked into the living room and raised a brow at her. Maya understood the look and just nodded. He looked over to Kyle who was trying to wake Ash up. "Did you tell him?"

Maya looked to Kyle then back to Jon and nodded. "Yeah, I figured he deserved an explanation. I'm sorry, I know we promised not to tell anyone."

Jon rolled his eyes. "I'm not mad that you told him. If you trust him then I do."

She chewed her nail. "He said he wouldn't tell and I believe him."

And she did believe Kyle. For some reason she was able to trust him. After all that they've been through today, Kyle was still there. He didn't freak out on her and run away to tell everyone that he could. He kind of handled it like Jon did. Must be boys.

Maya heard a groan and looked over to see Ash. She looked really bad. Maya tried to hold it in and bit back her smile. Ash's eyes were barely open when she looked at Kyle.

"Where am I?" She groaned again and put a hand to her head. "I feel like shit."

He helped her up and swung her arm over his shoulder. She giggled. "Now not so much."

Kyle sighed. "Come on, lets get you home". He walked with her, she wobbled slightly. Kyle's eyes were blank until he looked at Maya.

She couldn't decipher the look he was giving her. Ash stopped when she saw her.

"What are you doing here? This party was for the pops." she didn't even try to keep the contempt out of her voice. Ash was usually somewhat nice to her, even if she didn't like her. Tonight she didn't even try to hide it.

Maya rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to justify that with a response" She turned back to Jon. He was biting back a smile.

Kyle looked at Ash. "Can we just go please, without you harassing people". He mouthed "sorry" to Maya and dragged Ash out of the house.

As soon as the door closed Maya turned to Jon and started squealing and jumping up and down.

Jon raised a brow and held her still. "Tenshi...Are you okay?"

She slapped his hand away. "I'm fine. So how did it go with Stephanie? Do you like her? You better like her. She's one of the few decent girls at our school and she really likes you. Just to let you know I ship you guys like—"

He clamped a hand over her mouth. She licked it, he didn't budge. "You're my sister, your spit doesn't scare me. As for Stephanie, I just got back from dropping her off."

Maya squealed under his hand. He chuckled and continued talking. "We were kind of interrupted before because of the whole drugging situation." She could still see the hint of anger in his eyes.

He let go of her mouth, but continued to talk. "She asked if you were okay by the way. I took her home after that. I may or may not have kissed her—"

"You kissed her!" Maya screeched.

Jon shushed her. "On the cheek. God Tenshi, calm down. I don't think she was expecting it though. Her cheeks got as red as a tomato"

He chuckled like he was replaying the memory in his head. Maya's heart jumped for them.

She scoffed. "That's because you make her nervous."

He smiled. "How so?"

"She really likes you and she doesn't think that she has a chance."

"She has nothing to worry about. That is why I got her number."

Maya glared at him for a moment. "Don't play around with her. She's really nice and sweet. Take it slow and remember, she's not a school slut."

He held up his hands in surrender. "That guy isn't me anymore. I've changed Tenshi."

"I'll believe it when I see it." She crossed her arms.

"You'll see." he smirked like it was a personal challenge.

"We should get out of...whoever's house this is" Maya realized at the moment that she had no idea who's house they were casually having a conversation in.

"Oh right. Are you okay to drive?"

She nodded and walked with Jon outside of the house. They walked to their vehicles. Her bike was still where she left it. Hopping onto the bike, she revved the engine and put on her helmet.

Jon ended up beating her back to the house, which shocked her.

As soon as she got into her room and laid on her bed, her phone buzzed. She slipped it out of her back pocket and read the name. Alex.

 _Where the hell are you! Stephanie said you were drugged at the party. Come over ASAP. I NEED DETAILS!_

Maya smiled at the text. Alex was worried. She texted her back.

 ** _I'll be there in 5. I'll explain everything._**

 _You better!_

Maya put down her phone and knocked on Jon's door. He opened the door and raised a brow. "What?" He yawned.

"I might be staying the night at Alex's. Just let Mom know if she asks."

He nodded and closed the door again. Maya didn't trust that Jon would tell mom when she woke up, so she wrote a note anyway and stuck it on the fridge. She went back into her room and packed a bag.

The walk to Alex's was short. Kyle's car wasn't in the driveway yet. She walked to the front door and knocked.

Heavy footsteps sounded through the house and then the door opened. Alex's eyes were wide when she yanked Maya inside. She almost tripped in the doorway as Alex dragged her to her room.

Alex slammed the door behind them and sat Maya on her bed.

Maya laughed. "Nice to see you too Alex."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah. Now spill. I knew I should've went. I would've kicked their ass you know."

Maya smiled. "That's good to know."

Alex gave her a look that said 'Well...'.

She sighed. "Okay. So I was at the party dancing with Stephanie when Jon asked to dance with her and I was like totally fangirling because I ship them so much. So I let them dance and went off into the crowd. I ran into Kyle and Ash there too. Ash was completely trashed by the way".

Alex didn't look surprised and waved a hand. She giggled and continued.

"So yeah. After that I ran into Josh I think his name was."

Alex looked appalled. "That guy seriously gives me the creeps!"

"I know right! I was just trying to be polite. He offered me a drink and I didn't think to check it for drugs or anything, but after a couple minutes I felt weird. He took me outside and did some things. Nothing too bad. Kyle was able to stop him before he did anything else."

Alex furrowed her brows. "You're saying my brother stopped one of his friends from doing that?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah."

"That doesn't sound like him." She shrugged.

"So what happened after that?".

Maya looked away from her. "Um... I don't remember."

She sighed. "Well that sucks. If you still want me to kick Josh's ass, I will."

Maya smiled at her. "That won't be necessary. I'm still not exactly sure if Jon just let him go without great bodily harm being given to him first."

She giggled. "Good now lets get something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry."

Maya nodded and followed Alex downstairs.

Alex looked back at her as they went downstairs. "Did you notice how wonky the weather got? It was weird." She continued walking.

Maya shrugged. "Yeah it was."

"Maybe Mother Nature was having a bitch fit or something."

Maya laughed just as the front door opened. Kyle tossed his keys in the basket by the door and looked towards the stairs.

His eyes locked with hers. She looked down and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She didn't know how to act around him. He knew one of her biggest secrets.

"Why are you home so late?" Alex asked.

Maya finally looked up.

"I was taking Ash home-"

Alex held up a hand. "Ugh. Spare me the details. I couldn't care less."

He shrugged and took off his jacket, not even caring to defend Ash. Ash is a total bitch, but that's his girlfriend. It made her kind of mad that he didn't defend her.

If she had a boyfriend it would be nice to know that he would defend her.

Maya snorted a little to herself. _Her...having a boyfriend_! _Yeah like that would ever happen_.

Kyle raised a brow at her and she realized that she just snorted. _Great job_.

Maya took a sudden interest in her shoes and fumbled with her fingers, something that she does when she's nervous.

Alex looked at both of them and continued to walk to the kitchen. Maya made to follow her when Kyle grabbed her arm. She gasped at the warmth that spread through her and froze in her spot.

He stood in front of her and leaned down. "Are you feeling okay?" She didn't dare move.

She finally nodded, not being able to speak at the moment. He stood at his full height and grinned. "Good."

She was still frozen as he backed away and went up the stairs.

Alex was in the kitchen looking in the fridge. "Okay so we got mac and cheese, leftover pizza, salad. Yada yada yada."

Maya laughed and sat down at the table. "Um mac and cheese sounds good."

Alex shrugged and grabbed two plates from the cupboard.

After heating up the mac and cheese, she moved them over to the couch. Maya picked up the remote.

"What are we watching?"

"How about 'John Tucker Must Die'"

She smiled. "Any specific reason behind this choice?"

Alex laughed. "Maybe, but I'm not telling you."

Maya searched for the movie as she got comfortable on the black couch. Once she found the movie, she pressed play and took a bite of her mac and cheese.

.o.O.o.

After _John Tucker Must Die_ went off they watched _Mean Girls_.

During the movie Alex decided to pop them some popcorn.

Sometime during the movie, Alex moved over to the other couch and stretched out. Maya decided to lay back on the couch that she was sitting on.

Another hour passed before Mean Girls ended. She looked over to see Alex passed out on the couch.

She turned the tv off and grabbed her bag. Alex told her earlier where the downstairs bathroom was, it was beside the stairs.

She closed the door to the bathroom and changed into a tank top and shorts. The house was pretty dark and quiet besides the soft strumming of the guitar. _Kyle must still be awake_.

She went back into the living room and laid down on the couch. The blanket was draped across the back. Alex had already pulled her blanket on top of her. Maya did the same and closed her eyes.

.o.O.o.

" _Where's my beer!" He screamed. Maya ran to the almost empty fridge and took out a cold beer. He was like this every night. He would get drunk until he forgot everything and would take his anger out on her._

 _His wife wasn't any better. It was a cycle; she cheats, he finds out, he gets drunk and takes it out on her, she apologizes, and he takes her back. This has been going on for months._

 _She didn't know that tonight would be different._

 _She hands him his beer and the remote. He turns the channel and cranks the volume. "No good lying bitch" he mumbles._

 _He swipes his plate of food onto the floor. The plate smashes into pieces. She flinches._

 _A seven year old should not have to go through this. He stands up and wobbles a little. She tries to back away from him._

 _He grabs her shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise. "You're no better than her. I can't believe she talked me into fostering you. You're just going to turn into a lying whore just like her!"_

 _He throws her into the wall like she's a piece of trash and takes another sip of his beer. "We could've been happy you know." He slurs._

 _"We could've been happy together. It's all your fault. You drive her to cheat! Having to take care of you drives her crazy and she needs an out. You cause this!" She shakes her head and tries to hold back the tears. "I...I-"_

 _He cuts her off by throwing his beer at the wall above her head. She flinches as glass rains on her and feels one piece slice her collarbone._

 _He kicks one of the kitchen chairs over and punches the wall._

 _"Stop!" Her seven year old self screams._

 _He turns to her and slaps her across the face. The force knocks her to the ground and she bites back the tears._

 _"Shut up! You disgusting," he kicks her on the side. She yelps in pain as he continues his rant. "worthless," another kick. "Piece of shit!" Another kick._

 _She curls up on herself. "Please! Stop hurting me!" She begs him._

 _His assault continues. "You ruined everything!"_

 _She screams in pain as he kicks her again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please!_ "

"Maya!" She was jolted awake by someone's voice.

The lamp beside the couch was turned on. She locked eyes with Kyle and she saw that he was looking at her with concern.

Maya felt wetness on her cheeks and realized she was crying. She wiped her face, threw her arms around his neck, and buried her face into the crook of it. It could have been anyone standing in front of her, she would have done the same thing. Usually it was Jon.

Kyle sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh. It was just a nightmare. You're okay."

Maya continued to cry because it wasn't just a nightmare. It was a memory.

"Come on." She felt him lift her up.

He set her down on one of the kitchen chairs. She wiped her face and watched as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. He walked over to her and handed her the bottle. She took it and realized her hands were shaking slightly. She took a sip of the water and sniffed.

Kyle sat down next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered.

Maya shook her head. "I can't."

This was her first time having a nightmare since moving there. Their talk at the lake probably triggered it. Bringing up her old foster family and her childhood always triggers the memories.

He nodded to show that he understood. She wiped her face again. "So...Um what are you doing up? I didn't wake you did I?" She fumbled with her fingers.

He chuckled slightly. "No you didn't. I was playing a little and came down for a snack when I saw you. You didn't wake Alex. She can sleep through the apocalypse".

She let herself smile."So you were playing?".

"Yeah."

"Are you playing any more tonight?"

"More than likely."

She still looked at her lap. "Uh... Would you mind if I listened? Music sometimes helps with the you know..."

Music is more of a distraction from the nightmares. She would always blast music into her ears in order to go back to sleep. She guessed this would help just as much.

"Come on." He motioned for her to follow him. She wiped her face one last time and followed him up the stairs.

His room was the same as always. Clean and organized. She walked in with him. He closed the door behind them and sat back on his bed.

Maya stood in the middle of his room and looked around. She didn't really pay attention to the details in his room the last time she was there. He didn't have a lot of personal things in his room.

"Where are all your soccer trophies?"

He picked up his guitar and motioned towards the closet. "In the closet. I don't like the clutter." He took a bite of his apple.

She smiled a little. "I know." He shook his head and chuckled. _How could someone's laugh be so perfect?_

 _Ugh, she was acting like a girl again._

Maya was suddenly aware that she was only wearing a tank top and shorts. It wouldn't make sense to cover up now. He's already seen her. It's not like he's interested.

She sat at the end of his bed beside his legs. He put the guitar strap on and grabbed his pick off of the nightstand.

She furrowed her brows and held up a hand. "Wait."

He took another bite of his apple and looked up. She cocked her head to the side. "Are you comfortable with me listening? Because I know you said that you don't play in front of people. I don't want you to feel like you have to. I can just borrow some headphones or something."

He chuckled again. "Your rambling is cute, but no it's fine".

Maya felt heat flood to her cheeks. "So you do play in front of people."

He shook his head. "Nope."

She furrowed her brows again. "You're contradicting yourself. You say that you don't play in front of people, but you're about to play for me. Why?"

He looked at her for a second. "You're different."

She smiled a little and looked at him from under her lashes. His hair was a little tousled. He had on a white t-shirt and grey cleared his throat and started strumming random cords.

He smirked at her. "I know just the song."

She raised a brow.

He looked down and started strumming. Maya recognized the song immediately. It was one of her favorites. He must have remembered it from when they did that project. She smiled as he started the first verse.

" _I don't know why but my hands are shaking_

I can see you coming and I stand here waiting

Yeah I get tongue tied in the conversation

 _It's an F'd up, bad, sick situation_ "

Her eyes widened at his voice. He was _really_ good. She was only expecting some instrumental music.

She began to feel tired as he continued to sing. His fingers moved skillfully fast on the guitar. He must have been playing for years to be that good. He glanced up from his guitar and smiled at her before looking back down.

" _'Cause you're a force of nature_

Look at what you've done

I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run

So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight

I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature

 _Baby you're a force of nature_ "

She sang along with him in her head. After a moment, she laid on her stomach and peered up at him. She felt herself getting sleepier. It was definitely working. He smirked and continued to play.

" _I tried to tie my heart down, board up all the windows_

 _Oh but it's too late now_

 _I let you get too close_

 _'Cause you're a force of nature_

Look at what you've done

I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run

So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight

I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature

 _Baby you're a force of nature_ "

Maya found a pillow and laid her head on it, hoping to God that he didn't mind, because right now she was too tired. The nightmares always take a lot out of her. She closed her eyes when he didn't say anything. He just continued to play.

" _I'll be here 'till we collide_

I don't care if I survive

So crash into me one more time

 _Yeah, yeah, oh_

 _'Cause you're a force of nature_

Look at what you've done

I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run

So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight

I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature

 _Baby you're a force of nature_

 _Baby you're a force of nature_

 _Baby you're a force of nature_ "

Her eyes were closed and she was almost asleep. She heard him quietly get up and start walking. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Could you maybe...um...stay?" She whispered.

She heard him set his guitar down, then the bed shifted under his weight. He leaned over her and turned off the light. He sighed and laid on his back, his arms behind his head. "Sure."

She drifted off quickly into a dreamless sleep.

.o.O.o.

When Kyle woke up, it was still dark out. He could still see the moonlight through the curtains.

The smell of strawberries flooded his senses. He glanced down to see Maya laying on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her waist and hers was draped across his stomach.

He could see the top of her head and that her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. She was really screwing with his head.

He can never tell what she's thinking. They were similar in that way. They put up walls so people don't see that they're messed up on the inside. He didn't know that her past haunted her this much. She shouldn't have to fight her demons anymore.

She stirred slightly and moved closer to him. He tensed as she let out a sigh.

He looked back down at her and watched. It was crazy how her small body fit perfectly with his. He was really screwed. He shouldn't be thinking about those things. Especially when he had a girlfriend.

"What are you doing?"

Kyle's eyes widened and his head whipped to his doorway.

"Shit Jon". He let out a breath then realized that this was Jon's sister that he was with. It must have looked all kinds of wrong.

"We didn't do anything." He assured him.

Jon closed the door and looked down at his sister. "Is she okay?"

Kyle nodded then furrowed his brows. "How in the hell did you get in here? The door is locked."

Jon leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Thats really not important. She had a nightmare didn't she."

He nodded. "How did you know?"

Jon shrugged. "Its a sibling thing. I guess I just sensed it. And she would've woken up by now."

"Does she have them a lot?" He looked over to Jon.

He shook his head. "Not as much as she used to. This must be her first one since moving here. Something must have triggered it."

"She talked about her childhood a little with me."

"That could be it. She usually doesn't fall back asleep until hours after listening to music. How did you get her back to sleep so quickly?"

Kyle glanced down at her. "I don't know. She just fell asleep after I played a little." He motioned over to his guitar.

Jon sighed. "Well she's going to be out for a while. Her nightmares usually drain her. She'll also be a little quiet. Just...take care of her."

He nodded. "You're being really calm about this. If I caught Alex in bed with a guy I would be going batshit crazy."

Jon chuckled. "I see the way you look at her, when you think no ones watching."

Kyle raised a brow. "I look at her like I look at everyone else." He didn't know if he was trying to convince Jon or himself.

Jon shook his head. "You look at her like she's special to you. Just don't let this blow up in your face. I'm a pretty nice person until you mess with my sister. She's...vulnerable okay. She may not act like it sometimes, but she is. Don't toy around with her."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Dude, you have nothing to worry about. I have a girlfriend, not to mention I don't feel that way about her. If anything we're barely friends."

Jon opened the door and shook his head. "Get back to me when you stop lying to yourself."

He closed the door behind him and Kyle didn't hear anything after that. He looked back down at the girl laying on his chest and shook his head.

He's with Ash and will be with Ash. His confidence in that statement was lessening by the minute.


	12. Thank You

Big thanks to ICanExplain for checking out this chapter. (You're the best)

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

When Maya woke up, the sun was shining through the curtains. She buried her face into the pillow. It smelled like...sunshine. There was only one person she knew that smelled like sunshine.

She picked her head up and looked around. She was in Kyle's room. The room looked neat like always. The bed was empty when she looked to her side. Where was Kyle?

Maya glanced over at the clock and saw that it read 12:20 pm. It was really late. Most of her Saturday was gone now. She sighed, sat up, and pulled the covers off of her. When did she put covers on?

She wiped her face and felt her hair. She could feel the curls that came out of her ponytail. It probably looked like a rats nest or a jungle. She quickly put her hair up into a messy bun. Over on the floor was the bag that she packed for the night. What was it doing in there?

She heard voices on the other side of the door. Her eyes widened. It usually takes her a while to socialize when she wakes up from these things. She definitely couldn't hold a conversation with Alex. Maybe Kyle won't mention that she was in there.

"Hey did Maya happen to tell you where she went? When I woke up she was gone." That was definitely Alex.

"I think she said something about her mom wanting her home for breakfast."

"Okay. I'm heading over to Stephanie's for an English project. I'll just call Maya later. Maybe the three of us can hang out or something."

"Whatever." He sounded bored.

"Well bye I guess. You can be weird by yourself now."

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

Alex giggled and moments later, the front door opened and closed. Maya heard Kyle let out a relieved sigh and open his door.

He shut the door behind him and leaned against it. His eyes were closed and when he opened them, their eyes locked. He ran a hand through his hair. She couldn't help but follow the action.

"Good you're awake. Another ten minutes and I would've had to check your pulse." He smiled.

She laughed and shook her head. He walked over to the bed and sat on the end of it. He looked at her for a second. She looked down and fumbled with her fingers.

"Uh... I brought your bag up here so Alex wouldn't ask questions. Your brother said you would be quiet and I get it."

Maya looked up at him and raised a brow. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, he kind of broke in because he 'sensed' something was wrong."

She wasn't surprised. Jon seemed to always be able to do that. He calls it 'sibling telepathy'. He's never been wrong before. As for breaking in, he's not exactly an angel. Maya smiled. That was nice of Jon to check on her.

Kyle stood up from the bed. "Are you hungry?". He shoved his hands into his pockets. He had on a fresh pair of clothes. She nodded. He smirked. "How about I make you something?" She raised a brow. He wasn't serious.

Kyle chuckled. "It might not look like it but I can cook. You can use our bathroom to get cleaned up and I'll make us some lunch. Or breakfast for you." Maya nodded, curious to see if he was serious about actually cooking. Jon never cooks.

He smiled and turned to leave out of the room. She felt bad for not saying anything. He actually helped her a lot. She fumbled with her fingers again. "Um Kyle?"

He stopped and turned slowly. She looked up at him, his eyes were wide. He definitely wasn't expecting that. She was surprised too.

"Uh... I just wanted to say thanks for helping me. You didn't have to and it probably wasn't cool for me to sleep in your bed. It's just, I don't like to be alone afterwards. Usually Jon stays with me, but it was late and I didn't want to bother him so- oh God I'm rambling now"

He started chuckling. "Maya. It's fine."

"But-"

"Seriously its fine."

She laughed. Kyle shook his head. "So much for you being quiet."

Maya stopped laughing and playfully glared at him. "Hey," she pointed a finger at him. "Lets not have another 'accident' happen in your nice clean room."

He held up his hands in surrender. "You know, you were a lot nicer when you were quiet."

She made her eyes spark and glanced over to his window. His eyes widened. "Ha. Ha. Just kidding. I'm just going to go...".

She smiled and waved as he left the room.

Her bag was still on the floor by the door. She got out of the bed and looked around his room. His room was so neat so she felt obligated to make his bed. She sighed and quickly made the bed.

The room looked perfect now. She picked up her bag and set it on his bed. Everything she needed was there. She zipped up the bag and made her way over to the bathroom.

There was a towel and a wash cloth on the sink. She closed the door behind her and glanced over at the plants in the window. They were still looking alive and well.

She turned on the shower to get the water hot. While the water ran, she took her clothes out of her bag. It was just a simple pair of dark jeans and a plain white shirt. She also remembered to take out her bra and panties.

The water was still warming up. She stripped down, taking off her shirt and shorts. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink; freckled skin, untamable curls, and a very petite form. She glanced down at the scar on her side, it was from that night. She held back tears as she removed her bra. The scar from the glass was still on her collarbone.

She took off her underwear and looked down at the scar on her lower hip. All of her scars had a story behind them. They were reminders of her past and she didn't like to think of her past.

She stopped looking at herself and stepped into the shower, trying not to think about the bad things.

.o.O.o.

After her shower, Maya put her shampoo back into her bag and took out her lotion. She quickly put it on and got dressed. Her hair was still wet and starting to curl on its own. She looked around for a dryer, but didn't find one. Alex must keep it somewhere else. Kyle was still downstairs. She could ask him, but decided not to.

It would dry on its own anyway. Drying it really wouldn't make a difference. She would still have the untamable curls.

She put her towel and wash cloth in the hamper by the door and grabbed her bag. The bag was now filled with her dirty clothes. Her phone was also in her bag. She would have to check it soon.

The smell of food made her smile. It smelled pretty good actually. So maybe Kyle was serious.

When Maya got to the kitchen she saw Kyle over by the stove. His back was turned to her and he looked focused on whatever was in that pan. It smelled really good.

He reached for different things and she couldn't help but notice that his muscles moved with him. She cursed herself for paying attention to details like that.

He turned around and raised a brow at her. Then she realized that she cursed out loud. She felt heat go to her cheeks. She knew he noticed her embarrassment when he gave her an award winning smirk.

She set her bag down and walked over to the stove. Her eyes widened at what he made.

On the counter was a plate of bacon, sausage and in the pan that he had was an omelet. Did she mention how good it smelled?

Maya glanced up at him. He was still focused on what he was making. She shook her head. "I didn't mean for you to go all Martha Stewart on me."

He snickered and shook his head. Some of his hair tumbled into his eyes. His hands were busy so she reached up to move the hair out of his way. As she moved the hair out of his eyes, she noticed that he tensed. His eyes were wide and he was completely still. That was probably really weird for him.

She sat down at the table and pulled her phone out of her bag. Kyle walked over with two plates and handed her one. "Breakfast is served. Or brunch. Whatever you want to call it, is served."

She giggled and took the plate. She hasn't had a real breakfast like this in like a week. Usually she just grabs a bagel or some toast, not on purpose.

He sat down beside her and started eating his omelet. She guessed that he just made an omelet for himself. She decided to dig into her breakfast or brunch. Now she was getting confused.

She took a bite of her omelet and her eyes widened. It was really good. "Okay seriously dude. Where did you learn how to cook like this?"

He chuckled. "It's more of a hidden talent. Our parents aren't around much so I kind of handle things around here when they're gone. Cooking being one of them."

Maya nodded. "So you taught yourself."

He nodded. She looked at her phone as she took a bite of bacon. She choked when she saw that she had four missed calls from Jon last night.

She coughed off to the side and beat her chest. When she finally got herself together her eyes widened. "Jon called me five times in a row! No wonder he broke in here."

Kyle shrugged. "He was worried about his little sister. I get it, but I'm still wondering how he managed to break in."

Maya shook her head. "Our houses are basically identical. All he had to do was practice on our door and bam, he's in. He thinks that it's a 'necessary skill', but I just think he's an idiot."

Kyle chuckled in his seat. "Its kind of strange how you know this, but maybe someday it will come in handy."

She took another bite of food. "Oh please, tell me how."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay um...you're locked inside of a room or something and you only have a bobby pin. You can get yourself out and not get killed by the serial killers".

Maya scoffed. "Serial killers would kill me before I even got out."

Kyle shook his head. "Nope, because unlike the rest of us, you have powers. So you could like throw fire balls at them."

She started laughing really hard. "First of all: your imagination knows no bounds. Second: I never use my powers to hurt people."

He raised a brow. "Well... You hurt my feelings when you messed up my perfectly neat room."

She scoffed. "I meant physically hurt people. It's not fair. If I have problems with someone I use my hands not my powers."

He nodded. "I think that's how it should be. Making it a fair fight. But...you don't seem like the type to fight."

She punched him on the shoulder. Hard. He rolled his shoulder and winced a little. "You do pack quite a punch in that tiny fist of yours".

Maya smiled. "Thanks."

Her smile fell just as fast as it came. "But how would you know what the type to fight would look like?"

He looked down and scratched the back of his head. "Those would be people like me."

She furrowed her brows. "You...fought a lot?"

He nodded. "Not anymore though. I wasn't in the best state at the time. I would take my anger out on other people."

Maya nodded. "But fighting is definitely a necessary skill to have. It comes in handy like, per se, punching an asshole in the face for forcing himself on a girl."

He stared at her for a moment. She continued. "You know, I never did thank you for that. So thanks a lot. Who knows what he had planned."

Kyle sat back in his chair. "You don't have to thank me. It was my pleasure to punch him. Josh has always been like that at parties, he just doesn't understand the word 'no'. This is just the first time I stopped him."

Maya turned her nose up in disgust. "He's done this before?"

He nodded. "Sadly he has. The girls end up forgiving him and then go out with him or they won't remember. He doesn't rape them or anything, just makes out with them. It's disgusting."

"Sounds to me like he has a problem." She took another bite of her food.

He shrugged. "We all have our problems."

Maya finished the last of her food. "That my friend is true. That's pretty deep."

He smirked. "Well I do need something to back up my dashing good looks." He gestured to his face and body.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy." She smiled and patted his head and tried to ignore how soft his hair was. He frowned slightly.

She took his finished plate with her over to the sink. He raised a brow at her when she turned on the cold water to wash them.

"What?" She asked.

"What are you doing?"

Maya looked down at the dishes in her hand. "Um...washing dishes. You know soap, water, a sponge, dishes. It's a cleaning process. Am I ringing any bells?" She smiled at him.

He smirked. "Okay smartass. Let me rephrase that: "Why are you washing dishes?'" He walked over to her. She plugged the sink to let the water fill it. He still watched her.

She poured some soap into the sink as it filled. "I'm washing the dishes because I want to. You cooked so I clean. It's a courtesy. You forget that I spent most of my life in Japan. You learn those types of things there."

Kyle raised a brow. "Well I don't know about you, but most people don't wash their dishes in cold water."

She scoffed. "I know that idiot. I'm saving the hot water for you guys. For like showers and stuff."

He looked confused. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the water, it was freezing cold.

She held out her hand and slowly closed it into a fist. Steam rose from the water. She looked up at Kyle. "Check it...now."

He put his hand in it and grinned. "Cool."

She pushed his hand away and put the dishes in the sink. He stood there silently as she grabbed the sponge.

When she started washing the dishes, he reached into the water and grabbed her hands. She gasped at the contact and dropped the dish.

He still held her hands as he removed them from the water. "I'll wash, you can dry." She nodded, unable to find her voice. He took the sponge from her hand and started washing the dishes.

She wiped the soap off of her hands with a napkin and watched as he washed. He glanced over at her. "Your hair is wet."

Some wet strands still hung in her face. She shrugged. "I couldn't find a blow dryer. Although my hair would be stupid and unruly either way. Sometimes I wish my hair was straight." She twirled a wet curl around her finger, then blew it out of her face.

Maya thought about Ash's hair. Her's is always pin straight and perfect almost all the time. It's no mystery as to why Kyle likes her. She's like the bleeding image of the perfect girl; tall, pretty, brown eyes, blonde hair. The list can go on for miles. The only thing that she needs to work on is her personality. But she guessed Ash figures, why be nice when you look like that.

Maya didn't even notice that Kyle had finished washing the dishes. He was now looking at her. She looked down at her feet. He reached out and took one of her tendrils between his fingers. Her breath caught in her throat as he tucked it behind her ear.

"Hey." He whispered. She looked up. He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Why do you have this idea of changing yourself?"

She shrugged. "Because sometimes I don't like what I see." she said in a small voice. She was being honest.

He uncrossed his arms and shook his head. "You know what I see?"

Maya shook her head.

"I see someone that doesn't know how great they are."

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really, but don't get a big head now. That's my job." He turned to drain the sink.

She looked at the wet dishes in the rack. "You know Kyle...you're not half bad."

He scoffed. "I thought we'd already established that I was amazing."

She snorted, then looked away from embarrassment. He shook his head.

She held a hand to her heart. "My. My. You're so modest." She said in a southern accent.

He laughed. "Don't you have dishes to dry." He tossed her a rag.

Maya caught it before it hit her face and tossed it right back to him. He caught it as she turned back to the dishes and rolled her eyes. "1-Nichi wa, watashi wa kono shōnen o kizutsukeru tsumoridesu." (One day, I'm going to hurt this boy.) she muttered.

He eyed her, like he was trying to figure out what she said. She shook her head. He crossed his arms again.

"The dishes. Right." she mumbled.

He went to hand her the rag again. She pushed his hand away and looked back to the dishes. Her eyes sparked and she sucked in a sharp breath. The air blew towards the dishes to dry them.

After a moment she let out a slow breath and waved her hands in front of her. The air came to a stop. She shrugged at him and turned to her bag. He began putting the dishes back as she pulled out her phone.

Maya sent Jon a quick text that said she would be over in five. 'Whatever' was all he texted back. If they were together, she would have probably flipped him off.

She turned back to Kyle. "I should head home." He nodded and walked with her to the front door. She put her drying hair up into a messy bun as he opened the door. She went to leave, but stopped herself.

She turned around and looked up at him. He was still holding the door. She fumbled with her fingers and bit her lip. He cocked his head to the side.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Um... You might not think so, but you really helped me a lot yesterday. I just wanted to say thank you again."

He smiled. "You've already said thank you."

She shook her head. "I just feel like that's not enough."

They stared at each other for a moment. She felt conflicted on what she should do. He shook his head. "It's no big deal."

She took a step closer to him. His eyes widened slightly. A few inches being the only distance between them.

His breath hitched as she brought her lips to his cheek. "Thank you." she breathed against his skin. He swallowed and nodded. She gave him a small smile before ducking under his arm to leave.


	13. All About Music

*Lyrics to Beneath Your Beautiful are owned by Labrinth*

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Monday morning Maya stood in the school office drumming her fingers against the counter top. She was trying to figure out how they could change one of her classes.

Josh was in her debate class so she asked for a schedule change. One of the secretaries came back with a piece of paper in her hand.

The woman set the paper down in front of her. "If you're changing your class, you can either choose to have it another period or choose another extra curricular activity."

She looked down at the list of classes:

 _Drama_

 _French_

 _Hospitality_

 _Photography_

 _Music_

 _Poetry_

 _Robotics_

 _Architecture_

Those were some interesting classes. She thought over all of them. Music is where she would be the most comfortable. Hell, any class without Josh would be comfortable.

"I'll take _Music_."

The lady smiled and took the paper back. "Good choice. The kids seem to really like that class. You'll do just fine." Maya smiled back.

The secretary went into the back and moments later she came back with another piece of paper. "This is your new schedule. Instead of _Debate_ you now have _Music_ with Ms. Kat. Very nice lady."

Maya took the schedule. "Thank you so much."

She waved a hand. "We never want our students to feel uncomfortable. Come back if there are any problems."

Maya nodded and left out of the office.

Saturday night, she and Jon told Jocelyn about what happened. Not the part about her causing a huge storm and her nightmares coming back. Jocelyn was furious and called the school, asking if Maya could change her schedule.

Josh wouldn't get suspended or anything, because it didn't happen on school grounds. The school just wants her to be "comfortable". That will be the case as long as he stays out of her way. He doesn't want to see what she can do to him when she's not drugged.

Although she wouldn't bring herself to do that at school. No point in getting suspended over an asshole.

Maya checked the time. It was almost time for first period. She sighed and made her way to class.

.o.O.o.

When she arrived to art, Alex walked up to her and pulled her over to their seats. She almost tripped, again. "Woah. Nice to see you too."

Alex sat her down, sat down herself, then faced her. "Shh." She looked around before continuing. "People are talking about how Josh drugged you Friday night."

Maya rolled her eyes. Sometimes she forgets how much gossip goes around in American schools. "Let them talk. I bet they're making an even bigger deal of it than I am."

She looked around to see a few people looking at her. Her eyes caught Jon in the doorway. The bell for the start of class didn't ring yet. Next to him was Stephanie. They both had stupid smiles on their faces.

Maya couldn't help but smile at the scene. Jon said something then Stephanie smiled and nodded. Jon put his hands together, as if he were praying, then looked up and mouthed 'thank you'.

Maya shook her head and heard Stephanie giggle. _It was so cute!_

Stephanie and Jon took their seats, both still smiling. "Be right back." Maya said.

Alex nodded, too busy on her phone to notice.

Kyle and Jack came into the room as soon as Maya got up. Jon looked up to see her coming.

"Oh hell." He muttered right before she squealed.

Kyle and Jack took their seats and Kyle raised a brow at her, probably wondering why she was squealing. Jon rolled his eyes and looked around.

"Shut the hell up, Tenshi. People are starting to look." He whispered.

She rolled her eyes. "Who cares. I swear American schools are so strange."

Kyle chuckled slightly. Maya raised a brow. "What?".

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just sometimes I forget that you spent most of your life in Japan."

She shook her head and smiled. Jon sighed. "Was there something that you wanted baby sister?".

She nodded and leaned in closer to him. "Sō, anata wa kanojo o tazuneta nodesu ka?" (So, did you ask her out?)

Jon rolled his eyes and Maya saw his eyes shift in Stephanie's direction. He had a faint smile on his face. "Yoku anata ga shitte iru hitsuyō ga aru baai wa, hai." (Well if you must know, yes.)

Her smile widened and she squealed yet again. He looked around the room and held out his hand. "Tenshi, please don't—"

"Oh my God. This is so great." She cut in. "Anata wa, yoriyoi kanojo wa doko ka ī torimasu." (You better take her somewhere nice.) She pointed an accusing finger at him.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Don't worry about it. I will."

She narrowed her eyes at him to show she didn't trust him. He sighed. "Promise."

Maya crossed her arms in front of her. "Hmmm..."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Cross my heart, hope to die."

Maya's eyebrows shot up. He really was serious, that made her smile. "Okay. I believe you."

"Great. So can you stop pestering me now?" He looked around the room. She was obviously embarrassing him.

She smiled and looked around. "Love you too big brother!"

He glared at her from his seat and she smiled innocently back. Kyle chuckled beside him. Jon crossed his arms like a big baby and looked away.

She turned to walk away when Jack said: "Hey Maya,"

She turned around and raised her brows. They haven't really spoken since last week. He was still in his seat next to Kyle.

"I heard about what happened on Friday. I just wanted you to know that, if I was there, I would've clocked that asshole right in the face."

She looked down. "Uhh... Thanks."

"Well lucky for you, I actually did." Maya looked up to see Kyle's eyes full of annoyance.

"Yeah me too. Plenty of times." Jon said, without looking at them.

Her face flushed from embarrassment. She caught sight of Jon's amused smirk from the corner of her eye. She ignored him and turned back to Kyle and Jack. "Always nice talking to ya boys." Jack gave her a wink and Kyle rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Talk to you later Maya." Kyle said. She nodded and walked back over to her seat.

 _That was so awkward!_

.o.O.o.

After the bell signaling the end of the lunch rang, Kyle made his way to the music room. Class wouldn't start for another five minutes so he took his seat just as other students began filing into the room.

Ash came in soon after with a few of her friends. They were all wearing clothes that were about five sizes too small and makeup caked on their faces. Even he didn't find that appealing. Ash skipped over to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey babe." She flashed her pearly white teeth and took her seat next to him. He gave her a quick 'hey' and turned his attention to the front of the room. She grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder, it made him slightly uncomfortable.

"So babe, I saw this dress at the mall. It was more of an aurora pink, but they also had it in persian rose. I'm trying to figure out which one I should get. I think the aurora pink suits my skin tone better..."

Kyle stopped listening after that. _Is that really what goes through her head all day?_ And he thought she already had enough pink. Like now, she was wearing a pink shirt, pink shoes, and a pink headband. How much more pink did she need?

He was brought back when he heard a groan come from Ash.

"Ugh. What is she doing here?" He turned to see a familiar set of curls at the front of the room.

Maya was talking to Ms. Kat, her back turned. Ash was shooting daggers into her back. Maya handed Ms. Kat a piece of paper, then she smiled and nodded.

He couldn't help but take her all in. She was wearing all black. A black t-shirt, black jeans, black combat boots, and her leather jacket in her hand. Her hair was out in wild curls, Kyle preferred it like that. What the hell is wrong with him? Now he has preferences for her.

He removed his arm from around Ash. "How am I supposed to know?" he said, trying to sound uninterested. She crossed her arms in front of her.

Maya turned around and when their eyes met, she froze. She furrowed her brows slightly and didn't redirect her gaze until the bell rang, then she blinked and looked away.

Ms. Kat walked to the front of the room. "Okay class before we get started, we have a new student joining us. How about you introduce yourself."

Kyle saw Maya glance around the room and sigh. "Amaya Fray." She bowed like she did when she introduced herself in art, the action surprising most of the class.

Ms. Kat smiled. "Welcome to Music Amaya. What instrument do you play?"

She looked like she really didn't want to be down there. "I play the piano."

He heard Ash huff beside him, obviously not liking the attention Maya was getting. Ms. Kat clapped her hands.

"Oh goodie. We need more of those. How long have you been playing?"

Maya cocked her head to the side in thought. "I would have to say ever since I could read."

Ash let out a laugh that sounded more like a witch cackle. Maya turned her attention to Ash and made a face of disgust. She turned to some guy at the front of the room. "What the hell kind of sound is that?" She whispered. The guy just shrugged. Kyle tried to hold in his laugh.

Ash finally stopped laughing. "So not for long then." She told Maya.

Maya's eyes turned cold when she looked at Ash. He looked down to see her fists clenched, the action making him want to go down there and calm her. She was obviously trying to keep her cool. He couldn't blame her.

Ash crossed her arms and held her head high, smiling. Maya took a step forward and smirked. She looked down at her hand and slowly brought up her middle finger. "That's funny. You're giving my middle finger a boner." She feigned a shocked look.

The class began to snicker and he had to try really hard not to let out a chuckle. He could still see that Maya's eyes were blazing.

Ash scoffed. "Umm...Ms. Kat did you hear what she just said?" She held her arms out in exasperation.

Even Ms. Kat looked slightly amused. "You see sometimes I have trouble hearing, must be my old age." She shrugged. The funny thing was, Ms. Kat was only in her early thirties.

Ash huffed and sat back in her seat. Her friends leaned over to her. "It's okay Ash. She's just a freak junior." One of them said. Kyle don't know why, but that made him angry.

"Would you shut the hell up."

Ash looked over to him, shocked. "Babe. Are you defending her?" He didn't look at her and turned his attention back to the front of the room.

Maya smiled and walked up the aisle, not before giving one of the guys a high five. She took her seat next to Stephanie and looked to the front of the class.

.o.O.o.

Maya sat down next to Stephanie. She was still smiling. Maya sighed and put her book bag and jacket down. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I was worried I would have to sit near the skank patrol over there." Stephanie giggled and shook her head.

"No I'm glad you're here. They are always glaring at me. Maybe now they'll let up a little." She looked over at them.

Maya smiled. "Don't worry, I have your back. They're just jealous because they can't have my brother. By the way I heard about him asking you out. I'm so happy for you."

She started blushing and looked away. "Yeah. It kind of took me by surprise. Like why me?"

Maya scoffed. "Shut up. You're great."

She giggled. "Thanks Maya."

She just gave Stephanie a smile before looking to the front of the class. Ms. Kat started talking about what they were doing today.

Maya glanced over at Kyle, hoping that that little scene didn't upset him. After all that was his girlfriend. But when she looked at him there was no anger evident in his eyes only slight amusement.

He looked over at her, smiled, then shook his head. She looked away innocently, heat flooding her cheeks.

"Okay. What song were we performing today?" Ms. Kat flipped through her folder. "Ah yes 'Beneath Your Beautiful' by Labrinth."

Maya loved that song. Ms. Kat looked up. "Okay can I have Ashley on piano, Kyle on vocals, and Teddy on drums. And Ashley could you also do vocals?"

Maya saw Stephanie grimace beside her. Ash smiled. "Of course." She said in her nasally voice.

Maya turned to Stephanie. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just hope that you have earphones."

She looked at Ash. "Is she really that bad?"

Stephanie pulled a pair of headphones out of her bag. "She just tries too hard. It's somewhat okay, but still not something I want to hear."

Teddy got up from his seat, took the sheet music from Ms. Kat, and made his way over to the drums. Ash and Kyle got up, Ash making a point of swaying her hips in front of him. Kyle rolled his eyes and took a seat on the stool. Ash took her spot at the piano and looked at the sheet music.

Ms. Kat set up microphones in front of Kyle and next to Ash. Kyle adjusted the mic stand and looked up at Maya. He smiled slightly before looking around the room. Stephanie bumped her. She looked to see Stephanie's brows raised. "What the hell was _that_?" She looked from her to Kyle.

Maya shook her head. "Nothing."

She smiled. "Mmhmm."

Maya rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the front of the classroom. Ms. Kat sat down at her desk. "When you're ready Ashley."

Ash nodded and glanced at the sheet music. Maya knew the song by heart. Ash took a breath and played the first chords.

Maya picked at her nails until she heard Ash mess up. She missed the G-note on the 5th fret. It just went downhill from there. She played the wrong notes and missed others completely. The class sat there and waited for her to get it together, but she never could.

"Okay. Okay." Ms. Kat stood up. Ash stopped. "Ashley. You were supposed to study the chords. Um... Amaya how about you give it a try."

Maya looked up from her nails. She really needed to tell the teachers just to call her Maya.

Her eyes widened "Seriously?"

She smiled. "Yes. Are you familiar with the song?"

She nodded and stood up. Ash glared at her before getting up and huffing. She practically stopped past Maya and flicked her bleached hair over her shoulder. She sat down and the rest of the skank patrol went to comfort her. "I'm fine!" She huffed.

Maya tried to hold in her laugh as she turned to the piano. It was where she was the most comfortable, music wise.

She sat down at the bench, took the sheet music, and handed it to Ms. Kat.

"I already know it." she said. Ms. Kat raised her brows, but took it anyway.

Maya stretched her fingers before putting them on the keys. Kyle turned around and looked into her eyes before nodding. She took a deep breath and started playing.

The chords came to her easily. She heard Ash huff again in the back of the classroom. Maya smiled up at Stephanie. She looked amused and gave Maya a thumbs up.

She turned back to the keys just as Kyle started singing the first lyrics.

" _You tell all the boys 'No'_

 _Makes you feel good, yeah._ "

He turned to her as he sang the next words. She shook her head and smiled.

" _I know you're out of my league_

 _But that won't scare me away, oh, no_ "

He stood from his stool and walked over to the piano. He jumped up on the end of it and continued to sing.

" _You've carried on so long,_

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it,

 _But I'm gonna try_ "

He turned to her, his legs beside her and his shoes on the bench. He smiled as he held the mic to his mouth.

" _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl

I wanna see inside

 _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?_ "

Maya stopped playing and grabbed the mic next to her. His gaze went down to her feet and up to her eyes. Color pooled into her cheeks under his gaze.

[Line Break]

Kyle put his mic down and looked at Maya. He raised a brow at her, curious to see what she sounded like. He only caught a glimpse of her voice when she was singing in her room. She walked over to the front of the piano, her back turned to him. Teddy started on the drums.

" _You let all the girls go_

Makes you feel good, don't it?"

She moved her hair over one shoulder, revealing her neck.

"Behind your Broadway show

 _I heard a boy say, 'Please, don't hurt me'_ "

She glanced back at him as she sang the next verse.

" _You've carried on so long_

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it,

 _But I'm gonna try_ "

He hopped off of the piano and walked towards her.

" _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, boy, take it off now, boy

I wanna see inside

 _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh, tonight?_ "

He couldn't help but notice how beautiful her voice was. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her curls.

" _See beneath, see beneath,_

I...

Tonight

 _I..._ "

She turned to look up at him. He looked down into her gray eyes and sang the next verse with her.

" _I'm gonna climb on top your ivory tower_

I'll hold your hand and then we'll jump right out

We'll be falling, falling but that's OK

'Cause I'll be right here

 _I just wanna know_ "

The room fell quiet and it felt like it was just them. It felt like he was singing _to_ her.

" _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl (take it off now, boy, take it off now, boy)

'Cause I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh, oh, oh, tonight?

See beneath your beautiful, oh, tonight.

We ain't perfect, we ain't perfect, no.

 _Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?_ "

They ended the song, never looking away from each other. Her eyes were trapping him in their gray depths. He was brought out of his trance when the class started clapping.

Ms. Kat came up to them. "That was great guys!"

Maya smiled at her. "Thanks."

Kyle just gave her a quick nod and turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. "You sounded great."

She blushed, something he really liked making her do. God he needed to get ahold of himself. She was off limits. Hell, every girl was off limits.

She looked down. "Um... Thanks. You too."

Kyle nodded as they handed the mics back to the teacher. They both went back to their seats.

When he sat down Ash looked at him incredulously. "What in the _hell_ was that Kyle?!" She whisper yelled.

He rolled my eyes. "It was a song."

She scoffed. "It looked like a lot more than that."

He put his arm over her shoulder. "Chill out babe. It was nothing."

She kissed him and smiled. "Okay."

Kyle sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

He was so screwed.

.o.O.o.

After school, Kyle walked to the locker room to get ready for practice. Some of the guys were already there getting changed. He noticed that Josh didn't come to school today. From the way Jon handled him, it wasn't a surprise.

Jon was probably already out on the field. He was usually one of the first out there. Kyle opened his locker and took out his uniform. Jack rounded the corner, laughing with Mike and Chris. "Dude I'm serious. Usually I'm not into the biker chick type, but it looks damn good on her."

Were they talking about...

"Kyle. Dude."

Kyle turned to Mike. "What?"

He laughed and pointed at Jack. "This asshole thinks he has a chance with Fray's sister."

"Who says I don't? I'll just ask her out." Jack said. Kyle slammed his locker shut. He really did not want to hear them talk about _her_.

They continued talking. "How do you know she's not taken already?" Chris asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Kyle turned to walk past them. "Hey Kyle?" he turned to Jack.

"You live next to Fray's sister right?"

He sighed. "Yes. Why?"

"Does she have a guy friend hanging around?" Mike laughed.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Kyle leaned against the lockers.

"I don't know, maybe you've seen someone coming and going..."

Kyle scoffed and crossed his arms in front of him. "Yeah, because I have nothing better to do than to spy on my neighbor all day."

Mike turned to Jack. "Yeah dude. You're going to have to find out by yourself. But what do you want with a Junior anyway?"

Jack shrugged. "She's hot."

Kyle tensed.

Mike pointed a finger at Jack. "Fray is so going to kill you, dude."

Kyle walked past them and bumped Jack on the way out. He stumbled back slightly and gave him a weird look.

When Kyle opened the doors to the field, he ran a hand frustrated hand through his hair. The sun shined brightly on the field. There was a nice breeze. He tried his best to calm down. He shouldn't be reacting this way.

"Hey Goldie." He turned to see Maya sitting on the bleaches, sketchbook in her lap. Her eyes were squinted when she looked out onto the field. She looked back down at him and raised a brow.

"What's got your panties in a twist?"

He walked over to the bleachers and leaned against the gate at the bottom. "Goldie?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Short for Goldilocks."

He shook his head. He would never be able to figure her out. "So what are you doing out here?"

She looked out onto the field. The wind was blowing some of her curls in her face. She didn't seem to care. "Sometimes I like to watch you guys practice, well mostly Jon...and you sometimes. You're pretty good." She blushed.

He chuckled.

"You didn't answer my question." She was looking at him now.

He ran a hand through his hair again. "Just the guys, being idiots."

She laughed and shook her head. "Guys are always idiots."

He nodded. "Not always, but most of the time."

"So what did they say?" She asked.

Kyle shook his head. "Nothing you want to hear."

She scoffed. "You're forgetting that I have a brother." She pouted "Are you worried that my little girl ears can't handle it?"

He smiled. She was such a smartass. "It's nothing really."

She looked back down at her sketchbook. "Well alright, Goldie." She looked up and glanced behind him. "Your three bears are waiting for you."

Kyle looked behind him to see Jack, Mike, and Chris.

He turned back to her. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

She smiled. "Thanks. I try my best."

He shook his head. "Bye Maya."

"Later."

He jogged off onto the field. Jack glanced at Maya and then him. He shook his head at what Jack was implying. Jack just shrugged as all of them started their laps.

His eyes subconsciously drifted to where Maya was sitting. She had her head down and was focused on her sketchbook.

He shook his head. She was definitely a mystery, but he liked that about her.


	14. EXPG!

AN: I don't live in New York and I've never been to the EXPG studio so how I describe it is just distinct imagination.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

After school on Tuesday, Maya rode her motorcycle to the EXPG Studio. It was her first day and words couldn't describe how excited she was to dance again. Dancing always made her feel amazing.

She arrived at the studio quickly. Her mom was right, it wasn't that far from the school. It was a nice brick building with huge glass windows. The dance studio was on the top floor.

She wasn't a part of the dance studio just yet. She would have to audition today. They don't just let anyone in and that was understandable. Can't have people that can't dance in an advanced dance studio.

The fact that she had to audition made her only slightly nervous. She thought she was a pretty good dancer, but what would these people think?

She parked her bike and walked into the building. The elevator ride up was short. When she reached the top floor the doors opened and she was immediately inside of the dance studio when she stepped off.

There weren't that many people. Only about fifteen people were in the studio. Loud music played in the background. Maya smiled, she really missed this.

There were people stretching and others were dancing. The studio was pretty big, a huge window was on the side, and a mirror took up an entire wall.

A guy in gray sweatpants and a black shirt that said 'EXPG' walked up to her.

He pointed. "You must be Maya."

She nodded. "Yup."

He smiled. "Great. I'm Simon, the main choreographer here."

She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Simon. Um where can I change?"

He pointed to a door. "That's the girl's locker room. Let me know when you're ready."

Maya nodded and went to go change. There were a few girls in the locker room. She just quickly got changed into her black shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers.

She put her hair up and grabbed her bag. The other girls looked at her, but didn't say anything. She went back into the studio and set her bag down in the corner.

Simon looked to her and she nodded. He called everyone to attention. Everyone sat down against the mirror and the music stopped. "Okay guys. We have a new dancer with us today. She's here to prove that she can dance at EXPG."

Maya waved then put her hands into her pockets. She stood beside Simon. He looked over to her. "Let's see what you got newbie." He patted her on the shoulder.

AN: Here is the link to the routine ( /-yQHAhmFJXE)

She was pretty good at free-styling, but she was a fast learner also. Simon walked over to the stereo and turned on a new song. She recognized this one as 'Smile Back' by Mac Miller.

Maya looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Her nerves disappeared when she closed her eyes. She familiarized herself with the beat and smiled.

When she started dancing it was like a breath of fresh air. Her moves are usually sharp and precise. The music sounded throughout the studio and she ignored everything else around her.

She looked to Simon to see what he was thinking. His look showed that he was impressed. She smiled and continued dancing.

When she the song ended she stopped dancing. The other dancers started clapping and Simon came up to her. He patted her on the back. "Wow. That was awesome. I was not expecting that."

Maya laughed. "Thanks."

He turned to the rest of the dancers. "So what do you guys say? Is she in or out?"

Maya heard a collection of in's and smiled. Simon turned to her. "Well it's been decided. Welcome to EXPG Maya."

She gave him a fist bump. "Thanks, Dude."

"Alright, let's warm up. Maya you can watch for today and learn some of the steps." Everyone got up and turned toward the mirror.

A guy with short black hair and dark brown eyes walked up to her. He smiled. "Now you've got moves."

She looked up at him. "I try."

He chuckled. "I'm Patch. I've been dancing here for a few years now."

She nodded. "Cool, well it's nice to meet you Patch. I'm Maya."

He smiled and backed away. "Well, I guess I'll see you around Maya."

She smiled. "I guess you will."

Patch turned around to warm up with the rest of the dancers.

Maya stood off to the side and watched as they practiced a routine. It looked interesting and she couldn't wait to learn.

.o.O.o.

"So how was the studio?" Maya looked up from her dinner then to Jocelyn.

"It was nice. They seemed to like me."

Jocelyn scoffed. "Of course they did, you're a good dancer."

Jon chuckled. "Yeah Tenshi, this isn't surprising."

Maya stuck her tongue out at Jon. He showed her a mouth full of food. She turned her nose up. Jocelyn hit him on the back of his head. "Quit it Jon." Maya laughed at him.

Jon rubbed the back of his head. "She started it."

Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Just finish eating and leave your sister alone."

Maya smiled to show that she won. "Fine." He mumbled.

Jocelyn laughed. "Well I'm glad you like it. How would you feel about going everyday after school?" Maya choked on her food.

"Every...Everyday?" She cleared her throat. Two days a week was great, but everyday would be awesome. Like beyond amazing.

Jocelyn nodded. "I called earlier and they said they really liked you. So I signed you up. Is that okay? I wasn't sure if..."

Maya jumped out of her seat. "Are you kidding?! Of course it's okay. It's great! Thank you so much mom." She hugged her. Jon looked over at them and smiled.

Jocelyn laughed. "You're welcome sweetie."

Maya took her finished plate to the sink. Jocelyn and Jon followed behind her.

Jon patted her on the shoulder before going upstairs. She smiled at him. Their mom began washing the dishes. Maya shook her head. "Mom I can clean up tonight. Go get some rest."

Jocelyn grabbed a napkin and dried her hands. "You are the best daughter ever." She hugged her before going upstairs.

Maya smiled and started to clean up. She was in a great mood at that moment.

.o.O.o.

When Maya walked into Music class on Wednesday afternoon, she was still in a good mood. She took her seat next to Stephanie and sighed blissfully.

Stephanie bumped her shoulder. "What's got you so happy?"

She shrugged. "Nothing specific, I'm just generally in a good mood today."

Stephanie nodded. "That's good to hear." She was chewing on her nail.

Maya raised a brow at her. "You alright."

Stephanie shook her head. "Not really. My date with Jon is this Friday and I have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't been on a date since freshman year and that was a group thing. He just makes me so nervous and I don't know how to act around him."

Maya turned to her. "Just be yourself. I'm not really familiar with the whole date thing, but I know Jon. He just wants to get to know you. Don't worry about it and if he does anything stupid, I won't hesitate to hurt him."

She laughed. "That won't be necessary."

Maya smiled. "Okay, but seriously you're going to be fine."

She nodded and took a calming breath. "I can do this. It's going to be easy."

Maya laughed. "There you go."

Words couldn't express how excited she was for them. Maya was beginning to wonder when Jon would end his whole player façade.

It took him long enough, but he finally found a girl that he could go somewhere with. This is the kind of girl that Jon should want their mom to meet. Jocelyn would definitely approve. Maya definitely did.

.o.O.o.

"Hey, Pants on fire." Maya raised a brow at Patch as she walked out of the locker room. Simon gave her a locker yesterday and she didn't freak out at all.

"Pants on fire?" She adjusted the beanie on her head. Patch shrugged. "It was an 'in the heat of the moment' kind of thing. Not many things rhyme with Maya."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're an idiot." From what she saw yesterday, Patch was one of the best dancers there.

Everyone warmed up together before Simon came in. Maya stretched with Patch until a girl came over to them.

She looked to Maya and smiled. "Hey, I'm Olivia." Maya shook her hand and gave her a small smiled. "Maya."

Olivia nodded. "Nice to meet you. So I see you've met this idiot already." She bumped Patch. He rolled his eyes.

Maya laughed at the two. They seemed like good friends, but everyone seemed like they were pretty close.

Simon came into the room and called all of the dancers to attention. Everyone sat against the mirror and watched him.

"Okay, so I wanted us to work on the choreo for _Fall_ today. Um...Elliot could you give me a hand?" A boy with messy brown hair and glasses got up from the floor.

The boy, Elliot, stood next to Simon and adjusted his glasses. Simon nodded over to the person beside the stereo. The guy pressed a button, then the music started.

Simon and Elliot looked into the mirror. They looked at each other and nodded. They began the routine and Maya followed their moves to familiarize herself with the steps. She has a good memory so it shouldn't be hard to pick it up. There were a lot of sharp moves in the routine.

She glanced over at Patch and saw that he was watching Elliot closely. She raised a brow at him. His cheeks where slightly pink. _Was he blushing?!_

When the dance stopped, she saw Elliot look in Patch's direction before sitting back down. Maya looked to Patch and bumped his shoulder. "So, what was that about?" He scratched the back of his head. "What was what about?"

Maya heard Olivia scoff. "You know what she's talking about. You've been pining over Elliot for like ever."

Patch's eyes widened. "Really Liv? Just tell the whole world why don't you." He looked around the room.

Maya smiled. "You have a crush on Elliot? Why don't you say anything?"

He shook his head. "My parents are already hard enough on me. Who knows how they'll react if I bring a guy home." Maya furrowed her brows.

Olivia shook her head. "I've told him that it was bullshit. If his parents care about him, they should except that he's gay."

He sighed. "And I keep telling you that they wont except me, plus I don't even know if Elliot swings that way."

Maya furrowed her brows. "Have you asked him?"

Patch shook his head. "You can't just walk up to someone and ask 'are you gay?'"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Of course you can. Just don't say it in an accusing way."

Maya nodded in agreement. She didn't think that it would be that bad. They actually looked like they would be a cute couple and when she thinks that, there's no stopping her.

"I could ask for you." She said to Patch.

His eyebrows shot up. "You...you would do that for me?"

Maya nodded. "Of course. You've been nothing but nice to me."

Simon called everyone to stand up and face the mirrors. Maya walked up to Elliot before they started. Some people were stretching others were talking.

"Hey, Elliot right?"

He nodded and put his hands in his pockets.

Maya smiled. "Um...do you mind if I ask you something?"

He looked up. "What's up?"

Maya subconsciously adjusted her beanie again. "God, this is kinda personal."

He raised a brow. "It's fine."

Maya sighed. "Do you happen to be...gay?"

Elliot's eyes widened. "Who told you that?" He whispered.

She shook her head. "Nobody told me. I was just asking..."

"Why?" He furrowed his brows.

Maya knew she shouldn't be doing this, but she got closer to him and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You like Patch don't you?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Uh...maybe...maybe a little."

Maya smiled. "Well a little birdie told me that he happens to like you too."

He looked shocked. "Are... Are you serious?"

Maya smiled and nodded. "You guys should talk."

He shrugged. Maya looked around as everyone got into rows. She looked back to Elliot.

"Um...Can I have your number?" He nodded.

She quickly got a piece of paper and a pen out of her bag. She handed them to him and turned around. He used her back to write down his number.

When he was done, she turned around and smiled. "Great. I promise that he will get back to you." She winked and walked back over to Patch and Olivia. She couldn't help but notice the pink in his cheeks. _So cute!_

Olivia and Patch were looking at her expectantly. "So what happened?" Olivia asked.

Maya smiled and handed Patch the piece of paper. "Don't say I never did anything for you."

"Holy shit. Is that his number?" Olivia's eyes widened.

Patch was still staring at the piece of paper. "Yeah it is." He smiled.

He turned to Maya. "I know that we just met, but I love you." He hugged her.

She giggled. "Okay I'll except your love if you promise to see where this goes."

He looked down and nodded. Olivia jumped and hugged him. "Finally!"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on they're starting."

They turned their attention to the front of the studio. Simon and Elliot led the choreography for this routine.

Elliot glanced back to where Patch was standing. He looked at him then turned back around. They could see in the mirror that he had a smile on his face. Maya and Olivia turned to Patch and smiled. He refused to look at them. They smiled at each other.

Simon looked into the mirror. "Okay so to start us off, you go down, leg, face, hands, side, right." He did the moves as he spoke.

Maya paid close attention and matched the moves as he did them.

"You have to make sure your movements are sharp." He did the moves again. The dancers continued to practice those moves until they had it.

Maya was able to pick up on the moves quickly. She noticed that Patch was able to do the same.

Simon and Elliot showed them the rest of the routine. Maya felt like she had it and was somewhat confident in the routine.

She looked over to Patch. He brushed imaginary dust off of his shoulders.

Simon turned around. "Everybody take five." Everyone dispersed.

Maya took a sip of her water, removed her beanie, and put her hair walked up to her. "So do you think you have it?"

She nodded. "I think so." He took a sip of his water. "Well, if you think so Pants on fire."

Maya rolled her eyes at the nickname. Olivia walked over to them. "This routine is tough. I'm going to need more practice."

Patch and Maya nodded. Olivia scoffed. "Shut up. You guys looked perfect."

Maya laughed and walked over to Olivia. She hugged her as she pouted. Olivia laughed. "You're so short."

Maya shrugged. "You say short, I say fun sized."

Olivia laughed again. "You're funny. Good find Patch."

She smiled. Patch put an arm over her shoulder. "Yeah, she's a jewel isn't she."

She raised a brow. "A jewel? Seriously Patch?"

He shrugged. "Get used to it, Pants on fire."

They all laughed. Simon stood in the center of the studio. "So who thinks they have it?"

Maya looked to Patch. He smiled as she shook her head. "We do." He said.

Simon moved off to the side. "Okay." He turned on the music.

Maya turned to Patch. "You so owe me."

AN: ( /vhSZy7BSGDs)

He nodded and pushed her to the center of the studio. They faced the mirror and made sure that they were at a safe distance. Maya ran through the routine in her head to make sure that she had it.

Patch looked over to her and nodded. She looked back into the mirror as they started dancing.

Her and Patch moved really well together. He really was a good dancer. She focused on herself in the mirror to make sure that her moves were sharp. The thought of being able to do this everyday made her excited.

When the dance was over, they gave each other a high five. Olivia walked up to them. "That looked amazing guys."

Patch laughed. "Thanks, Liv."

Maya nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Olivia."

Olivia shook her head at Maya. "Just call me Liv. We're cool now."

Maya smiled at her. "Okay, Liv."

Elliot walked over to them. He adjusted his glasses before looking at Patch. "Um...that looked really good."

Patch's eyebrows rose and Olivia bumped his shoulder. He seemed to snap out of his trance. "Uh...Thanks. Nice job on the choreo."

Elliot smiled. "Thanks. Maybe we can work on something sometime."

Patch nodded. "Definitely."

Elliot looked to Maya and Olivia. "Ladies."

The girls waved at him and smiled. As soon as Elliot left, the girls ambushed Patch. "Oh my God. It's happening." Olivia whisper yelled.

"You guys are so cute." Maya squealed.

Patch rolled his eyes. "I swear to God guys, shut up." He was looking around, probably making sure Elliot wasn't around.

Maya scoffed. "Whatever. Come on Patch, lets help Liv with the routine."

"Ooh yay." she clapped her hands together.

Maya and Patch helped Olivia out on the dance for the rest of the studio time.

.o.O.o.

Maya just got into her room after her shower, when her phone buzzed.

 _Okay crazy question, but can you babysit my little brother on Friday? ~A_

It was Alex. Maya picked up her phone and typed a quick message.

 **Max?**

 _Yeah! How did you know his name? ~A_

 **Kyle told me once.**

 _Okay... So can you do it? It's okay if you can't, it's just my Mom and I are having girls day. We haven't been able to really do anything together and my Dads going to be busy. ~A_

 **Of course I can! I LOVE kids.**

 _Okay. This is great. I promise I will pay you back. Kyle will be there too, but he wont pay much attention to Max. I think he'll like you :) ~A_

 **It's no problem. Just have fun with your mom. And I hope he likes me too or it will get awkward.**

 _You have nothing to worry about. Max likes everyone. He just a little nerdy. He likes comic books and stuff. ~A_

 **That's okay. Jon used to read comic books.**

 _That's great! Thanks again. I could literally kiss you right now._

Maya laughed and put her phone down. She quickly changed into some comfy clothes. Jon knocked on her door shortly afterwards.

"Come in!" Jon opened her door. He hung in the doorway. "Mom says dinners ready."

She nodded and walked with him downstairs. Their mom had already placed their plates at the table. "Hey guys. How was your day?" Jocelyn smiled at them as they sat down.

Jon smiled. "Good. Oh yeah mom, I have a date on Friday so I may be home a little late."

Jocelyn raised a brow. "Ooh a date huh?"

Maya laughed. Jon rolled his eyes. "Yes mom, a date. Her name is Stephanie."

Jocelyn looked to Maya. "Do you approve this...Stephanie?"

Maya knew that was Jocelyn's way of asking 'Is this another skank?'.

She smiled and nodded. "I highly approve. She's really sweet."

Jocelyn looked satisfied. "Okay, I'll allow it."

Jon shook his head. "Okay mom."

Maya looked to Jocelyn. "Which reminds me. I promised Alex that I would babysit her little brother on Friday."

Jocelyn furrowed her brows. "Alex has a little brother. I thought it was just that one boy. What's his name...Kyle?"

Maya nodded. "She has another brother, he's nine I think. His name is Max."

Jocelyn shrugged. "Well I have no problem with you babysitting. Nice of you kids to get out. I get the house to myself." She laughed.

Jon and Maya rolled their eyes. "Sure, Mom." They both said.


	15. To the Max

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

When Maya got to the studio locker room on Friday, she changed into her dance clothes.

Patch and Olivia were already out in the studio, stretching. Maya sat down with them and began to stretch. "How do you guys get here so fast?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what time do you get out of school?"

Maya shrugged. "Three o'clock."

She nodded. "Well I get out at 2:45 and Patch here gets out at 2:00."

Maya pouted playfully. "No fair."

Patch patted her on the head. "It's okay, Pants on fire."

Maya grimaced. "Again with the Pants on fire?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Try having him call you Gonolivia."

Patch and Maya started laughing. "Okay that one's disgusting. I'll take Pants on fire."

Patch shrugged. "I told you guys it's a 'in the heat of the moment' kind of thing."

Olivia patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah. You work on that."

Maya looked up to see Elliot walk past. His eyes went straight to Patch's. "Hey, Patch. Ladies."

Elliot sat down next to Patch, the action surprising Maya. She didn't think he would be so...forward.

Patch smiled. "Hey Elliot."

Maya and Olivia looked at each other. 'Awesome' Olivia mouthed. Maya nodded then turned back to the two boys.

"So, I see you guys hit it off." Maya smiled.

They were both blushing furiously. Patch nodded. "We hung out a little yesterday. This guy is amazing. "

Elliot was wide eyed. "I'm amazing? You're like one of the best dancers I've seen."

Patch shook his head and smiled. "But you can choreograph. You make up these amazing routines. That's amazing."

Olivia smiled. "Gosh guys. You're both amazing."

Patch ignored her and turned to Elliot. "So... Do you want to maybe...hang out this weekend? I know this really good pizza place."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. I'm free this Saturday."

Patch scratched the back of his head. "So I guess I'll just text you later."

Elliot smiled and started to get up. "Okay."

Patch nodded. "Okay."

Elliot waved to Maya and Olivia before leaving. The girls were obviously eavesdropping on their personal conversation.

Olivia clapped and smiled. "You guys are making plans. OMG, my OTP is finally happening."

Patch rolled his eyes. "It's no big deal. We're just hanging out."

Maya felt he was missing something. "Are you going to tell your parents?"

Patch sighed. "I'm kinda nervous to, but it's who I am. It's their problem if they don't like it."

"I totally think you should tell them." Olivia said. Maya nodded.

He nodded in agreement. "I just hope they wont blow this way out of proportion."

Maya shook her head. "They're your parents. They'll love you despite what your sexuality is. At least they should."

Olivia agreed with her. "Yeah. You'll be fine."

He took a breath and nodded. Olivia smiled. "Aww Patchy needs a huggy wuggy." Patch rolled his eyes as they smiled.

Maya and Olivia both hugged him. He pretended to be resistant. After a moment, he loosened up. "What am I going to do with you two?"

The girls laughed. "I have no idea Patch." Maya said.

.o.O.o.

When Maya got home, she hurried to shower. It was already 4:17 and Alex was leaving with her mother at 4:30.

After her shower, she quickly got dressed into some dance clothes because they were comfortable. She was wearing black leggings, a white crop shirt and a gray beanie.

Maya slipped on some sneakers and ran downstairs. She packed a bag full of fun stuff for her and Max to do. Jon was on his way out when she walked downstairs. "Oh hey Jon."

He turned around. "Hey, Tenshi."

"Good luck on your date. Tell Stephanie I said Hi." He nodded and opened the door. He actually looked nice and smelled kind of good.

"Are you wearing cologne?" She asked. He raised a brow. "Yeah. A little."

She gaped at him. "Wow. You really do like her." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, hence why I'm going out with her."

She walked up to him. "Well then get going. She's waiting." She pushed him out of the house. He walked over to his Bentley. Maya smiled as he pulled off, praying to God that he wouldn't screw it up. She triple checked that she had everything and yelled a quick 'bye' to her mom.

When she got to Alex's, she knocked on the door. Alex opened the door after a few knocks. "Great you're here."

Maya nodded. "Yeah sorry I'm late."

Alex shook her head. "Im just glad you're here at all."

Alex leaned in closer to Maya and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Ash is here so be prepared for anything."

A woman came up behind Alex. The woman looked like an older version of Alex. Maya was taken aback by the striking resemblance.

"Oh is this your friend?" The woman said. Alex nodded and smiled. "Mom, this is Maya."

She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you Maya."

Maya took her hand and bowed. "Nice to meet you too Mrs. Jones."

She must not have been expecting Maya's polite gesture. Her eyebrows shot up and Alex decided to explain. "She spent quite some time in Japan."

"That sounds wonderful. Just call me Maryse."

Alex's mom, Maryse, turned to Alex. "I like her already. Well, Max is inside. Thank you so much for looking after him, Maya."

Maya smiled. "It's no problem. Go have fun."

The two laughed and let her inside. Maya waved goodbye before closing the door. When she turned around, she looked down to see a little boy, Max.

He had short brown hair and dark brown eyes like Alex. His eyes were under small glasses. Maya smiled at him. He smiled back. "Are you Maya?"

She nodded. "Yup. That's me. You must be Max."

He nodded. "Yup."

Maya set down the bag that she had, walked over to the stairs and sat down. He followed behind her. She looked at him. "So what does a super cool dude like you like to do?"

He laughed. "Well, I did just get these new comic books, but they're in Japanese. I'm going to have to have my mom translate them online."

Maya smiled. "Well, Max you're in luck because I happen to know Japanese."

He gaped at her. "You do?!"

She laughed and nodded. "Yup. I actually lived in Japan."

He stood up. "Cool!"

Maya stood up too. "How about you get the comics and we can read them in the living room."

He nodded. "Okay!" He started running up the stairs. Maya laughed. She was doing pretty good so far.

Max came back downstairs with one comic in his hand. "I want to read this one." He handed it to her. She smiled.

He was a fan of Manga.

"Okay. Let's go."

Max followed her to the living room. They both sat on the floor and Maya started flipped to the first page. She glanced at the page them started reading "Father!... Mad man! That mad man is here!..."

Max watched closely as she read and looked at the pictures. He was such a cute kid. She smiled and kept reading until she finished the entire comic book.

When she finished Max smiled. "Thank you so much!" Maya laughed. "I'm not done with ya yet kid." She tapped his nose and got up from the floor.

She went to grab her bag by the door. When she came into the kitchen, she set it on the island. Max's eyebrows shot up. "What's that?"

She smiled. "Well, with me being the ultimate babysitter, it's my duty to make sure that you have as much fun as you can while your parents aren't here."

She unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out multiple nerf water guns and balloons. Max looked into the bag. "Awesome!" He picked up a water gun.

She picked up another one. "So what do you say kid. Wanna battle or what?"

He nodded rapidly. "You're on."

Maya smiled and grabbed the balloons. "Lets fill these up first. Do you have a bucket anywhere."

He pointed to under the sink. She grabbed two buckets. Max filled up the balloons and she tied them. Once they filled them all up, Maya gave Max half of the balloons in his bucket. She filled up their water guns and the others.

She grabbed the buckets with the water balloons in them. "Grab the water guns." He picked up the duffle bag and followed her into the back yard. She set them down in the middle.

"Okay here are the rules. We each grab a bucket and a gun. When I count to three you run that way," she pointed behind him. "And I'll run this way." She pointed behind her.

He nodded. She continued. "Okay once I count to three you run, then count to a hundred. That should give us enough time to hide and make strategies. After we count to a hundred, the game starts. The winner is the one that's the most dry." She smiled.

Max laughed. "Deal."

She handed him a bucket and a gun and she got the same. "These guns will always be here." She pointed to the extra guns.

He nodded. "Okay. One... Two... Three!"

They both took off running.

.o.O.o.

Kyle was sitting down in the basement with Ash. They were watching some show that she put on and he wasn't in the least bit interested, but he sat there anyway. This was his Friday.

She sat on the couch with her feet in his lap. He didn't have the energy to tell her to move her legs. It's like she always had to be touching him in some way. Sometimes a guy needed a little space.

He blinked his eyes again to try to stay awake, but he didn't think he would be able to hold on any longer.

"See babe, those are the shoes that I wanted. Do you think they would look good on me?" He nodded in agreement without even looking at the shoes. He really couldn't care less.

"What's that noise?" Ash furrowed her brows. Kyle listened closely. He grabbed the remote and muted the tv, then he heard it. There was a scream then a laugh. _Wait... He's heard that laugh before..._

Kyle removed Ash's feet from his lap and started towards the basement stairs. She followed behind him. "Babe. What are you doing?" She whined.

"Going upstairs." He said it like it was the most obvious thing and continued walking up the stairs. When he got upstairs, he walked over to the sliding glass door. Outside were Maya and Max. They were having a water fight.

Max was able to shoot Maya in the back with his water gun. She screeched and threw a water balloon at him. It looked like they were having fun.

They were both soaked, but they didn't seem to care. Max was laughing and so was Maya. He didn't know that she was coming over.

He went to open the door when Ash grabbed his arm. "Babe come on. Come back downstairs. What is she even doing here anyway? She's so immature."

He pulled himself out of her grasp. "Actually I'm done watching tv."

She scoffed. "Do you want me to leave?"

He shrugged. "It's your choice."

She huffed. "Fine. We'll talk about this later." She stormed past him and walked out of the front door.

He shrugged and turned back to the glass door. He opened it and the music got louder. There was a speaker next to the door with Maya's phone. They were oblivious to him standing there.

Out of nowhere, a balloon hit him on the chest. He looked up to see Maya and Max looking at him. "Oops. Didn't see you standing there, Goldie." She said.

He walked up and grabbed a water gun from the duffle bag. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh it's on now." He aimed his gun.

She ran just as water shot out of the gun. Max laughed and tried to shoot him. Kyle held a hand to his heart. "You too Max? I feel so betrayed."

Max smiled and ran off with Maya. They both seemed to agree on something. He heard Maya count to three then they ambushed him.

He was hit with multiple water balloons and sprayed with water. Maya and Max laughed as he got soaked. He was able to spray them both before he ran. Max turned to Maya and sprayed her again. She gaped at him. "And here I thought we were partners." He laughed and ran before she could throw a water balloon at him.

"Every man for themselves!" Maya yelled before running off. He sprayed her in the back. She screeched and threw a water balloon behind her. He couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked like a big kid, but in a good way. She was able to get Max excited.

They continued to play until they ran out of water balloons and water in their guns. Max ran up to Maya and hugged her, the force of the hug making her stumble. "You are the best babysitter ever! That was so fun!"

Maya laughed. "Why thank you Max."

Kyle looked at the two. She could get people to like her easily. It didn't take Max long at all. It didn't take him that long either if he was being honest.

Kyle walked over to Max. "Come on. Let's get you into some dry clothes."

Max nodded and turned back to Maya. "Will you still be here?"

She nodded. "How could I leave after that. Our journey isn't over yet my friend."

Max smiled at her. "Okay!" He ran into the house. Kyle turned to Maya. Her hair and clothes were wet. He looked down at her. "Do you have a change of clothes?" She nodded.

He noticed that her gray beanie brought out the gray in her eyes. She laughed. He really liked the sound, it sounded natural.

"You're soaked."

He shrugged. She was still staring at his midsection. He looked down to see that his white shirt was clinging to his body. Was she checking him out?

"Maya?" He cocked his head to the side. Her eyes snapped to his. "Yeah...uh...you should get changed." She turned around and slid into the house.

He didn't like how the thought of her looking at him that way excited him. She shouldn't look at him that way. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't look at him like other girls looked at him.

Kyle shook his head. _Could he get any more screwed?_

He went into the house and walked downstairs into the basement. He turned off the tv then went all the way upstairs into his room.

His was looking through his dresser for a new shirt when his door opened. Kyle turned around to see Maya with a bucket in her hand, her clothes still wet.

"Sorry for barging in on you like that. I just need a safe place to do this."

Kyle raised a brow. "A safe place to do what?"

She closed his door. "I lied about bringing clothes and I can't use my you know what's around the kid."

"Oh." She was talking about her powers.

She set down the bucket. Kyle raised a brow. "What's with the bucket?"

She smiled. "For this."

Kyle watched as she moved her hands in front of her. Water drew from her clothes. She moved the water into the bucket.

He smiled. "That's one way to do it."

She laughed and shook her head. "It's my only choice right now.".

He shook his head. She walked over to him and looked at his soaked clothes. "Let me help you out."

She held out her hands and pulled the water from his clothes. He saw her move the water over to the bucket. She finished with herself and sighed. He felt his clothes that were now completely dry.

He smiled. "You really come in handy don't you?" She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

He smirked. She walked over to his window, opened it, and dumped the water. Her hair was still a little damp.

She opened the door to his room. "Thanks, Goldie."

He rolled his eyes at the nickname and promised himself that he would find one for her. "Welcome, Maya." She smiled and left his room.

He put the clothes he picked out back in the dresser. Won't be needing those anymore. He opened the door to his bedroom.

"Alright Mad Max, let's get something to eat." Maya was talking to Max in the hall. How did she come up with these nicknames?

Max laughed. "Okay." Maya bent down and Max jumped onto her back. They both laughed as she started walking towards the stairs.

She looked up at Kyle. "Come on Goldie, help me make dinner."

"Yeah Goldie." Max giggled.

Kyle ruffled Max's hair and looked to Maya. "Fine." For some reason, he couldn't say no to her.

She smiled and took Max downstairs. He followed behind them.

When they got downstairs, Maya set Max down on a kitchen chair. She rolled her shoulders. "Okay. What would the amazing Max like to eat?"

Max smiled. "Mac and cheese!"

Maya shrugged. "Then Mac and cheese it is."

She turned her back to him, then turned back to him. "Just relax Max" she smiled. Max laughed and pulled out one of his handheld video games.

Maya turned to Kyle. "Okay. I need you to tell me where everything is."

He smiled at her and nodded. She took off her beanie and put her hair up. Some of her curls fell into her face that couldn't fit. She tucked them behind her ear and looked around. "Okay I need a pot for the noodles."

"Under the Island." Maya nodded and grabbed a pot. She filled it up with some water and put it on the stove. Kyle sat back and watched her.

Maya bit her lip. "Okay where are the macaroni noodles?" Kyle pointed to the cabinet beside the microwave. She opened the cabinet and sighed. The box was on the top shelf.

She stood on her tippy toes and tried to reach the box. She was nowhere near it. Kyle removed himself from the wall and walked behind her. He reached up and grabbed the box with ease.

He heard her breath hitch as his body brushed against hers. She whirled around and looked up at him. He handed her the box.

"Uhh...Thanks." She grabbed the box and turned back around. Kyle smiled and stood next to her. She opened the box and looked at the water. It wasn't boiling yet.

She scoffed. "Stupid hydrogen bonds." Kyle laughed.

Maya glanced behind her. Max was focused on his video game. She smiled. "Let's speed this up a little."

She held her hand out hand and slowly closed it into a fist. The water began to boil.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Haven't you ever heard the saying 'patience is virtue'?"

She smiled. "Yes, I just choose not to follow it."

He shook his head as she dropped the noodles into the water. She put a hand on her head. "So I'm going to need eggs, cheese and milk."He moved out of her way so she could go to the fridge.

She got out all that she needed. They just had to wait for the noodles to finish cooking.

Maya hopped up onto the island. Her legs swung over the edge. "Hey, what happened to Ash?" She moved to sit in front of him. They were almost the same height now.

He shrugged. "She left a while ago." Her brows furrowed. He raised one of his. "What?"

She looked down. "Nothing, it's just...you don't seem to like her very much."

Now it was his turn to furrow his brows. "What do you mean? I like her plenty. She's my girlfriend." He felt somewhat uncomfortable talking about his relationship with Ash with her.

She nodded. "I get that it's just, whenever I see you two together, you either look annoyed or you show no emotion at all."

He crossed his arms in front of him. "And what makes you think that you know everything about our relationship?" He didn't mean for it to come out as an accusation, but that's how it did.

Her eyes widened. "I don't. I was just making an observat–"

"Well maybe you shouldn't, because you don't know everything."

"I never said I knew everything. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

He didn't know why he was angry now. "You're the one who brought it up." His voice got a little louder. Fortunately, Max had his headphones on.

He saw her eyes widen. "Just drop it. okay?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, but maybe you should work on not paying so much attention to other people's lives and focus on your own."

She didn't say anything after that so he left the room. He caught a glimpse of the shocked look on her face before he left.

When he got up to his room, he shut the door and ran a hand through his hair. He regretted everything he just said to her. _God he was such an asshole._

He knew that she didn't say it to be cruel. She was just making a point. Everything she said was true and he couldn't handle it. He just doesn't like to think that he's bad with relationships, but he is.

What was he thinking, attacking her like that? She didn't deserve that. He was just trying to defend himself, but it came out as cold and harsh.

He needs to learn how to control his anger. It seems like once he's started he can't stop. _He should've just shut his goddamn mouth._ Sometimes he just can't stop himself from being a douchebag.

All he could do now is try to apologize, but he would have to wait until they were alone.

.o.O.o.

Maya was shocked. She didn't expect Kyle to react that way.

He was right though, she needed to learn to mind her own business. When she really thought about it, she's been doing that a lot lately. Stephanie and Jon, Elliot and Patch, Kyle and Ash, she just can't stay out of their business.

Kyle was completely right. _Ugh she's so stupid._

Why did she even try and talk about his personal relationship with Ash. It's personal for a reason. She really needed to work on not intervening in other people's lives.

Everyone would be better off that way. She just does it so she doesn't have to focus on her own life. Maybe she should start worrying about herself.

She doesn't like arguing either. She hates when people yell at her because it brings back bad memories. Only her mom and Jon know not to yell at her. She couldn't expect Kyle to know that.

Maya hopped off of the island and went over to the pot. She drained the noodles then added the rest of the ingredients.

When the mac and cheese was done, she made her and Max a plate. She walked over and set the plate down in front of him. He took off his headphones and smiled. "Wow, Thanks!"

Maya laughed at his excitement. "You are so very welcome." She sat down with her own plate.

Max took a bite of the mac and cheese. "This is really good." She smiled. "Thanks."

Cooking isn't a mystery to her. It was something she had to do a lot for her old foster parents. Not that she wanted to, but that would be the only way she could eat some days.

Maya shook her head. This is what happened when she focused on her own life, but she would still work on it.

.o.O.o.

"Alright To the Max, time for bed."

Max pouted. "But we were having so much fun."

Maya laughed. "I know. How about I read you another Manga before bed?"

He smiled. "Okay. I'm going to go get ready. Don't leave."

She shook her head. "I won't."

Max smiled. "Okay." He ran to his room to grab his nightclothes then disappeared into the bathroom.

Maya laughed and waited for him to come out. She could hear Kyle playing his guitar, something that he does every night. He was probably still mad at her. She was starting to think that she deserved it.

Max came out of the bathroom after a couple of minutes. "Ready."

She smiled. "Awesome."

.o.O.o.

Kyle put down his guitar because he thought he heard Max's voice.

He got up and walked over to his door. The hall was empty when he opened his door.

He looked to see light coming from Max's bedroom. The door was cracked slightly. He walked over when he heard Maya's voice.

"...Okay Maximum Max, which Manga do you want to read?"

Kyle shook his head at the new nickname she gave him.

"Uhh...I changed my mind. Can you tell me a story?" Max asked.

Kyle heard Maya laugh.

"A story huh?"

"Yup."

"Okay let me think..."

Kyle didn't want to interrupt, but he was interested in what kind of story she would tell.

"Okay got it." He heard her clear her throat.

"Once upon a time there was a little girl in a small house. The house was nice, but the people weren't very nice. They would yell at the little girl and make her really sad. The girl was special though, she didn't let them win. She was smarter than them. The mean people wouldn't even let her go to school sometimes. So when they went to sleep, she would stay up for hours reading and making herself really smart. She would read anything. Books about music, cars, art, just anything she could find. This is the kind of stuff that she survived on. She didn't make a lot of friends because of those people. It was almost as if she were trapped there with no way out."

Kyle sat down next to the door after a minute.

"But one day she was able to escape the bad people. The little girl was taken to a home with a really nice lady and a little boy. The little girl was really happy. The bad people went away and she was finally free. The new family made her feel like she belonged and she will love them forever for that.

The girl even found out that she is really special. She learned that she had a really special gift; she had special powers. Her powers make her feel great. She never uses them for evil, only good, and sometimes for fun. The little girl was able to do great things, including traveling across the world. She was so happy. Her life was finally getting better. The girl will never be the same because of the bad people, but she tries really hard not to think of them. In the end the little girl was able to grow up with a really nice family."

Kyle was speechless. He hoped that most of the story wasn't true, but somehow he knew it was.

He heard Max speak. "Wow."

"Yeah that was kind of sad. I'm sorry."

"No it was great. I think that little girl was really brave. She's awesome just like you."

Kyle heard Maya laugh. "Why thank you Max. I think you're pretty awesome too"

Max laughed too. "Thanks."

There was a moment of silence until Max spoke again.

"You know what I was thinking?"

"What?"

"I think you should be Kyle's girlfriend."

Kyle's eyes widened at Max's suggestion and listened for Maya's answer.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you're awesome and Kyle is awesome. And awesome squared would just be like the ultimate in awesomeness right? Plus you would be my sister."

Maya laughed. "That's a lot, but Kyle already has a girlfriend. You've met Ash right?"

"Yeah, but she's mean and not as awesome as you. I wish you were his girlfriend."

Kyle didn't know Max felt that way.

"Sorry bud, but the world isn't a wish granting factory."

"Will you still come here to hang out with me?"

He heard Maya laugh again. "Of course dude, we have a lot more stuff to do."

"Cool."

Kyle was happy to hear that she would be coming back. Max really seemed to like her.

He heard Max yawn then Maya spoke again. "Well goodnight Max. I'll see you around."

"Goodnight Maya."

Kyle stood up just before she turned the light off. He went over to his door to make it look like he was just coming out.

Maya looked up at him after she closed Max's door. She looked away quickly. "Uhh...I was just leaving."

He walked over to her. "Maya?"

She looked up at him. Some of her hair fell in her eyes. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry. You didn't deserve that, you didn't do anything wrong."

She shook her head. "No you were right. I need to stop meddling in other people's lives. I promise I'll work on that." She tucked a hair behind her ear and went to move past him.

He stopped her. "Don't listen to me. I'm an idiot for telling you what to do."

"It's no big deal. I just need to work on some things. I get it."

She gave him a small smile before going downstairs. He wanted to stop her and tell her that he didn't mean it, that she didn't need to work on anything about herself.

He should've listened to Jon. Jon said that she was vulnerable. She might put on a brave face, but she's vulnerable like most people.

He went back into his room. He was so fucked up.

.o.O.o.

It was almost 9:00 when Maya got home. She saw that Jon was home. She wasn't going to ambush him about his date because she didn't want to meddle.

When she got into her room, she laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Jon knocked on her door moments later.

"Come in."

Jon opened the door and walked over to her bed. She felt the bed dip with his weight.

"Hey Tenshi." She looked over to see him smiling. Someone's date went well.

He raised a brow at her. "You're not going to ask how my date with Stephanie went?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Did you want me to?"

He furrowed his brows. "I guess, kinda, yeah."

She sighed."Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to work on not interfering in other people's business."

He turned to her. "Since when?"

"Since now I guess." She shrugged.

He shook his head. "You know I don't care Tenshi. I like talking to you about this stuff."

She looked at him. "You do."

He nodded. "Yes, now ask me already."

She smiled. "Okay Jon, How was your date?"

He smiled again. "It went really well. We went out to the movies then we had ice cream afterwards. After that we just walked and talked for a while. She's great."

She laughed. "I could've told you that asshole."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm thinking about asking her out again."

"You should."

"Maybe I will." Jon got up and headed for the door.

"Night Tenshi."

She looked over to him. "Night Jon."

He closed the door and she got ready for bed.


	16. Car Trouble

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Working Man by Imagine Dragons_

 _**We Own It by 2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa_

* * *

When Kyle got downstairs for breakfast, everyone was there already. His mom was making breakfast, Alex was on her phone and Max was reading one of his comic books.

He walked over to Max. "What are you reading buddy?"

Max glanced up at him before returning to his book. "Its the new Manga. Maya translated it for me, she's awesome."

Kyle looked closer and saw Maya's handwriting under the Japanese writing. It was nice of her to do that for him.

Maryse walked over and set down breakfast for everyone then sat down next to Alex, who finally put her phone down.

"So Max, did you have fun with Maya?"

Max put down his comic book. "Did I have fun? It was awesome! She read me Manga, we had a water fight, and she made me mac and cheese. Can she please come over again?" He put his hands together.

Maryse smiled. "Of course she can come over again."

She turned to Alex. "That's a very good friend that you found. I really like her."

Alex nodded. "Yeah she's great."

Kyle couldn't help but agree. Maya was great, but somehow she didn't think so. It felt weird listening to them talk about her. They never talked about Ash like that.

He shook his head and started eating his breakfast.

.o.O.o.

When Kyle got out of school on Monday, he headed over to his car with a couple of his teammates. There was no practice today so a couple of the guys were coming to his house to hang out.

He opened the car door to his Impala and put his key in the ignition. The car has been having problems for the past couple of days and he didn't really know what the problem was.

He saw Jon walk over. "Damn. Sweet ride."

Kyle got out of the car. "Yeah it's been acting funny for the past couple of days."

Jon raised a brow. "Really?"

Kyle nodded and stepped back.

"What's up?" Jack asked. Kyle turned to him. "Something's wrong with the car."

His teammates walked over to the car.

"Pop the hood." He heard Jon say.

Kyle shrugged and went back to the drivers seat to pop the hood. Once it was open, he stood next to Jon.

Jon sighed and examined the engine. "Do you have a box of tools or something?"

Kyle nodded and went to the trunk to get the tool box. He handed the box to Jon and watched as he pulled out a wrench then went back under the hood. He dropped the wrench back into the box after a moment and sighed.

"Do you know what the problem is?" Mike asked.

Jon shook his head. "I think it's the engine, but I'm not completely sure. I'm not really that much of a car person."

Some of his teammates took a look under the hood. Kyle scratched the back of his head. "Shit. I'll just get it towed to a shop."

He looked up and his teammates nodded except for Jon. It looked like something caught his eye across the parking lot.

Jon smiled and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Tenshi!"

Kyle followed his gaze and saw Maya on her way to her motorcycle. She turned around when Jon called her. He motioned for her to come over. Kyle saw her sigh then she started walking towards them.

"What are you bringing her over here for?" Jack looked confused. Kyle bet that they all looked that way, but Jon looked like he knew something they didn't. When Maya got to them, he took in her appearance. He had two classes with her today, but it looked like she changed her clothes.

She was wearing a gray cropped hoodie and sweatpants. Her hair was down in the loose curls that he liked and she had her helmet and keys in her hand.

"What do you want, Jon? I'm going to be late."

Jon smiled at his sister. "I need some help. There's something wrong with Kyle's car." She looked to Kyle then stood on her tippy toes to look at his car.

She looked back to Jon. "What's wrong with it?"

Jon shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think it's the engine."

Maya bit her lip, looking conflicted. Jack looked confused. "Wait. What the hell is going on here?"

They ignored him and Jon put his hands together. "Please Tenshi, I know you how much you love cars and this one is a classic."

She started biting her nails. "I know, it's a 1968 Chevy Impala." It shocked some of the guys that she even knew what kind of car it was.

"So will you do me this one favor?" Jon asked her. She grimaced and Kyle could see that her resolve was slowly cracking.

"Damn. Fine I'll do it." She finally said. Jon smiled at her and the guys still looked confused.

Kyle didn't know what to think as Maya walked over to him and gave him her helmet and keys. He held them as she began putting her hair up. She walked over to the car, which the guys were still standing around.

She walked up to them. "Excuse me." They moved out of the way and Kyle moved to lean on the car next to his. Maya pulled up her sleeves then disappeared under the hood.

She sighed and turned back to Jon. "Seriously Jon, a V-8 engine? Have I taught you nothing about these." Jon shrugged. "You can't expect me to know everything. This mind can only hold so much." She laughed then turned back to the engine as Jon went to stand by her. After a while she turned back around and looked at Kyle. He walked over to her, his teammates followed. She gave them weird looks before turning back to him.

"Its just a transmission problem, nothing too bad."

"Can you fix it?" Jon asked her. She looked at him and sighed.

"Yes, but I'll be even more late."

Kyle didn't know exactly what she would be late for. "You don't have to."

She shook her head. "It's fine, I can fix it."

His eyebrows rose. "Okay." He backed away.

She turned back to the car. Kyle stood back watching her work then turned to his teammates. "You guys can go if you want."

Jack shook his head, never tearing his eyes from Maya. "No way dude, I want to see this."

"Yeah I'm not leaving either. You don't see chicks fixing cars that often. This could be the last time I see something like this." Mike said.

Chris nodded. "I agree. I could stay here forever."

Kyle felt uncomfortable with them talking about her. "You guys are assholes."

"And you've known that for how long? We're single dude, let us enjoy this." Jack said.

"Enjoy what?" They turned to see Ash standing there in a pair of short shorts and a tank top. It was warm, but not that warm. It was only March.

The guys ignored her and turned back to watching Maya work on his car. She was having Jon hand her different tools.

Ash looked to his car then back to him. "What's she doing?"

Kyle noticed that they had gotten a little closer to the car. They were only a few feet away from Jon and Maya. So Maya could probably hear what Ash was saying.

Maya got a wrench and bent over the hood. Jack cocked his head to the side. "Damn and I thought that she was badass before."

The guys nodded except for Kyle and Ash huffed. "What the hell?"

Kyle finally decided to answer her. "Something's wrong with my car, Maya's fixing it."

Maya turned around and glanced at Ash before turning to Kyle. She had a smudge of grease on her cheek. "Keys?"

Kyle dug into his pocket and tossed his keys to her. She tossed them to Jon and he got into the drivers seat. He put the key into the ignition and the car purred.

Jack smiled. "So hot."

Maya put the hood back down and smiled. Jon tossed the keys back to Kyle, licked his thumb then went to rub Maya's cheek.

She laughed and smacked his hand away. "That's disgusting." She wiped it herself with her hoodie.

"Thanks Maya." Kyle said.

She nodded. "You're welcome."

"Nice job on the car." Jack told her. She smiled. "Thanks Jack."

Ash turned to Kyle. "Yeah I've always liked your car. It always makes me feel like I'm in an episode of _Supernatural_." Kyle furrowed his brows.

He saw Maya raise one of hers. "I don't see why it would."

Ash rolled her eyes. "That's the car from the show _Supernatural_. You would know if you watched the show."

Maya shook her head. "I've seen the show and this is not the same car."

Ash sighed. "I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about."

The guys stood back and watched them.

Maya laughed. "Yeah? Well I'm pretty sure that the car from _Supernatural_ is a 1967 Chevy Impala and Kyle's car is a 1968 Chevy Impala. Two completely different cars. The 1967 model is a four door, automatic, hardtop. Kyle's car is a two door, with a completely different front end and triple horseshoe shaped taillights which weren't introduced until 1968. So tell me again about how it's the same car."

Everyone was practically gaping at her, except for Jon. "Damn." Kyle said. She blushed and turned to Jon. "I'm late so I'll see you later."

He nodded. "I have something to tell you though. I'll walk you to your bike." Maya walked up to Kyle to get her helmet and keys back. She smiled and waved at the boys before leaving with Jon.

Ash scoffed when she left. "She's such a know it all. I don't like her."

Jack looked amazed. "A girl that's into cars and rides a motorcycle. Where has she been all my life?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."

Kyle bumped him. "Shut up and get in the car." Jack called shotgun and they got into the car.

Kyle turned to Ash. "I'll call you later."

She pouted and he tried really hard not to roll his eyes. "Fine."

He turned around, not wanting to deal with her moodiness. He would probably get an earful if he called her later.

Kyle got into his car, started it, and pulled off.

.o.O.o.

Maya walked off to her motorcycle with Jon after she left the guys and Ash standing there. She was satisfied when she proved that Ash was wrong and the guy's shocked looks did not go unnoticed.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

He looked at her. "Oh yeah, I signed you up for the pep rally on Wednesday, you're dancing."

She looked wide eyed at Jon. "When!"

He scratched his head. "Last Friday."

She slapped his arm. "And you're just telling me now!"

He shrugged. "It slipped my mind...my bad. By the way, you're last."

She glared at him. "This means I'm going to have to come up with a routine in two days."

He smiled. "You can do that Tenshi."

She shook her head. "You're such an idiot, but I'll just ask Elliot to help me."

He raised a brow. "Elliot?"

Maya nodded. "He's from the dance studio. I told you about him and Patch."

"Oh yeah, the guys you can't stop talking about."

She laughed. "You should see them together, it's so cute."

He patted her head. "I'm sure it is Tenshi."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Thanks for signing me up. I'll see you when I get home."

He nodded as she popped her helmet on. She started her bike and pulled off.

.o.O.o.

When Maya got to the studio she knew that she was late. She got off of the elevator and walked into the studio. She had thought that she would be able to save time if she changed at school and look where that got her.

They were just hanging out when she walked over. She sat down next to Patch and Olivia. "What's going on guys?"

Olivia looked at her. "Wow. You're late."

Patch rubbed her face. "Is that grease?"

She rubbed her face. "Yeah. I was fixing someone's car."

Olivia raised a brow. "You were fixing someone's car?"

Maya nodded. "Yup. So what are you guys doing?"

"Nothing really. It's just free time." Patch sat back.

"Oh good." Maya was relieved that they weren't working on anything.

Maya saw Elliot a few feet away. He didn't have his glasses on.

She remembered what Jon told her and gasped. "Elliot!"

He turned to her and she motioned for him to come over. He sat down next to her.

"What's up Chicken Nugget?" Patch and Olivia chuckled.

"Wow. Patch is rubbing off on you already." She smiled.

Elliot laughed. "Yeah I'm not as good as him with the nicknaming."

Patch smiled. "I'll make sure to help you out with that. We'll get you good and ready in no time."

Maya laughed. Elliot shook his head. "Okay, what's up?"

"My brother signed me up for the pep rally on Wednesday at my school and I need your help with the choreography."

He nodded. "Okay. What song were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about that on the way here. I've been working on this routine for a few weeks. It's to the song _Like A Boy_ by Ciara." She said.

Elliot nodded. "Me and Patch could help you tighten it up."

Patch looked up. "Me?"

"Yes, you owe her don't you?"

Maya laughed and waited for Patch's answer.

"Sure. I'll help Pants on fire." Maya smiled and clapped her hands together. "Yay. I will love you forever if you do."

Patch scoffed. "You already love me." Maya nodded. "True. You guys are all great."

Olivia laughed. "You'll do great Maya. Especially if these two are helping you."

Maya smiled at her. "Thanks Liv." Patch raised a brow at Maya.

"What school do you go to?"

"Lake View High."

"Oh, my school isn't far from there. What time is the pep rally?"

Maya thought about it. "Um. It's at the end of the day and I go last so maybe around 2:30."

He nodded. She looked at him.

"Why?"

He shook his head. "No reason." She gave him a weird look.

"So what do you have so far?" Elliot asked her.

She went through her phone to find the song. Once it started she stood up and looked at the mirror. Most of the dancers weren't paying attention to her.

She showed Elliot, Patch and Olivia the beginning of the routine. It wasn't finished yet and that's why she needed their help. She wasn't a choreographer so she didn't know if the routine looked okay.

When she sat back down she turned to them. Elliot looked like he liked it. "That's looks good so far. Really good actually."

Patch and Olivia nodded. Maya smiled. "Thanks, I've been working on it for a while and I need help finishing it."

Elliot nodded and hopped up, she got up with him. Patch stayed sitting. Elliot gave him a look and held his hand out. Patch took it and got up. Maya and Olivia smiled at each other.

Olivia got up also and Elliot looked toward the mirror. "Okay. Show me that last part again."

Maya started the music up again . "Okay so it's one, two, then three" She did the moves as she spoke.

Elliot nodded. "Okay,lets do this."

.o.O.o.

When Maya got home, she went up to her room and collapsed onto her bed. Elliot and Patch were finally able to help her finish her routine.

They still had some tightening up to do, but that was for another day. That day being tomorrow since that was the only day that they had left. Jon could be such an airhead sometimes.

Maya got off of her bed to go get a shower. After dancing for about an hour, nonstop, she felt kind of gross.

It seemed like Elliot and Patch were getting more comfortable with each other. She was happy for them. It was nice of them to take it slow and wait it out. No need to rush into things.

When Maya got out of the shower, she got dressed, then went downstairs. Jocelyn was in the kitchen making dinner. Maya walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Need any help with dinner?"

Jocelyn smiled. "Sure, sweetie."

She handed Maya the knife. "Can you cut up this basil for the pizza sauce?"

Maya nodded and took the knife. She liked helping her mom out. After all that Jocelyn's done for her, helping out in the kitchen feels like nothing.

After Jocelyn finished the pizza, she called Jon downstairs. Maya could hear his heavy footsteps as he came downstairs.

Jon came into the kitchen and kissed Jocelyn's cheek. "Ooh pizza." He went to pick a piece of pepperoni off of the top. Jocelyn slapped his hand away as Maya laughed. He pouted, waited until she brought it over to the table and took a seat next to Maya.

When Jocelyn put the pizza down on the middle of the table, they all grabbed a slice. Jon turned to Maya. "Hey, did you figure out what you're going to do for the pep rally?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah. Elliot and Patch helped me finish this routine I was working on."

Jocelyn smiled. "Who's this here Elliot and Patch?" She waggled her brows.

Jon laughed and Maya shook her head. Jocelyn looked confused.

"What?"

Maya hit Jon so he would stop laughing.

"Mom, Patch and Elliot are gay"

Jocelyn shrugged. "Okay. Never mind then."

Jon turned back to Maya. "So are you going to show us this routine?"

She shook her head and smiled. "You, big brother, are going to have to wait."

He pouted and Jocelyn laughed. "Oh yeah, Jon you have to record it for me."

He nodded. "I heard that they have someone record the whole thing. I'll just get it from them."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You're so lazy."

He smiled. "I like the term...selective participation better."

She laughed. "Okay, dumbass."

He gaped at her as Jocelyn laughed.

They ate in silence until Jon decided to break it.

"You know Mom, I was thinking about getting a tattoo."

Maya and Jocelyn both looked at him.

"Is it because your sister has one?"

Jocelyn asked him.

Maya subconsciously touched the _Tenshi_ tattoo behind her ear. Sometimes she forgot it was there. She got it on her fifteen birthday. The pain was bearable, but it still hurt. She never knew Jon wanted one too.

Jon shook his head. "No, I've just been thinking of getting one."

"What were you thinking about getting?" Maya asked.

"The Japanese symbols for Angel," he looked to Maya "and Mom." He looked to Jocelyn. "The two most important people in my life."

Maya had to admit that that was sweet. Jocelyn looked shocked.

"Really?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I wouldn't joke about that mom."

She smiled. "Well as long as it's not something stupid. Just remember to take your I.D. "

He nodded. "I did."

"What?" Jocelyn's eyes shot up.

Jon saw his mistake and his eyes widened.

"I mean, I will?" He grimaced.

Maya couldn't hold her laughter. "Dude, you are so dead."

He sighed just as Jocelyn yelled.

"JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER FRAY!"

Jon looked around then pointed at Maya.

"Tenshi got into a fight today!"

Jocelyn looked at them. "What!" She screeched.

"I did not! It was just an argument about a car!" Maya explained.

Jocelyn turned back to Jon and glared at him. "Are you telling me that you already have the tattoos?" Her voice was scary calm.

Jon looked around then sighed. "Shit. " he muttered so only Maya could hear him. "Yeah mom."

Maya raised a brow at him. "When did you get it?"

"Today." He said.

"Today? Where is it?" Maya asked him.

He sighed and rolled up both of his sleeves. There was angel in Japanese on his left arm and mom in Japanese on his right arm. She had to admit that they looked good. His arms were still wrapped up.

"Wow." She said.

He tugged his sleeves back down.

Jocelyn shrugged. "Okay." She said it so calmly.

Jon raised a brow. "Okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah it's okay, but just to let you know, you're going to be doing your chores and Maya's chores for the next week."

Maya liked the sound of that. "Yes." She smiled.

Jon huffed. "Fine."

Jocelyn smiled. "Thanks. Nice tat by the way." she took another bite of her pizza.

Jon shook his head. "Thanks, so much."

Jocelyn and Maya laughed.

.o.O.o.

When Maya got to Music class on Tuesday, she took her seat beside Stephanie.

"Hey Maya." Stephanie said.

"Hey." She sat back in her seat.

Kyle walked in with Teddy moments later, laughing about something. Ash trailed in front of them. She looked up and glared at Maya.

Maya rolled her eyes. So apparently she was still angry about yesterday.

Stephanie looked at the two. "What did you do to the queen bee?"

Maya laughed. "She's just mad because I proved her wrong. I guess she doesn't like being told she's wrong."

Stephanie smiled. "I would have paid to see that." She looked down at Kyle. "Is he mad?"

Maya turned to Stephanie and shrugged. "I'm not sure we haven't really talked since then and– what are you looking at?"

Stephanie was looking behind her. Maya followed her gaze to see Kyle standing there. Her eyes widened and she straightened herself in her chair.

"Oh hey Goldie." She cleared her throat.

He smiled and shook his head. "Hey."

"What's up?"

He looked down at her. "I just wanted to really thank you for fixing my car yesterday."

"Oh, you're welcome. It wasn't a big deal. I like cars so it was fun for me. It's stupid, I know." She looked down. He always made her feel stupid and nervous. She hated that he made her act so girly.

Kyle smiled. "No it's not stupid, it's actually cool," he pointed at her "...and it came in handy."

She nodded "I guess it did."

He smiled at her then reached out to flick one of her braids over her shoulder. "Later, Pippi." He walked back over to his seat after he said hello to Stephanie.

Maya's eyes widened before she turned back to Stephanie. She had forgotten for a moment that she even put her hair into two braids. It was just a way for her to get it out of her face. The nickname was definitely unexpected.

Stephanie looked at Maya. "You fixed his car?" She asked incredulously.

Maya nodded. "Yeah..."

Stephanie gave her a look. Maya raised a brow.

"What?"

"Oh nothing." Stephanie sat back and smiled.

Maya shook her head at Stephanie and waited for class to begin. She saw Kyle and Ash having an intense conversation on the other side of the classroom.

Kyle rolled his eyes and turned away from her. Ash continued to talk and Kyle kept his face blank.

Maya didn't know what he was thinking, but she was guessing it wasn't something good.

She looked away from the scene and focused on the class.

.o.O.o.

"So, you want to work on the routine some more?" Patch asked Maya when she sat down.

Maya nodded. "Yeah. I still need to tighten it up a little. Where's Elliot?"

"Over there." He pointed behind her. She turned around to see Elliot talking to Olivia.

They walked over and Maya heard the last of their conversation.

"...you just have to get in there and do it. Don't even think about it." Olivia told him.

Maya raised a brow. It didn't look like Patch was paying attention . Olivia put a finger to her lips. Maya was confused, but she didn't say anything.

Elliot walked over to Patch. "Uhh...Patch. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Patch nodded and got up. As soon as they walked away, Olivia ran up to her.

Maya looked at her. "What's going on?"

She smiled and turned me to watch them. "Elliot wanted advice on asking Patch out."

Maya's eyes widened. "Do you think he's going to do it?"

Olivia nodded. "I hope so. I told him to just do it and not to think about it."

The girls sat back and watched, crossing their fingers that something good happened.

Patch and Elliot were talking and it looked like Elliot asked Patch something. Patch scratched the back of his head.

After a moment, Elliot looked down and nodded. A look of defeat on his face. He turned to walk away.

Patch's eyes widened and he grabbed Elliot by the shoulder. They looked at each other before Patch pulled Elliot to him and kissed him.

When they broke apart, Olivia and Maya started squealing. Some of the dancers stopped to look at Patch and Elliot. Simon stepped forward and looked at the two. Maya really hoped that he wouldn't say anything homophobic or rude.

Simon cracked a smile. "Finally! The sexual tension with you two was getting so annoying." Maya heard a collection of agreed murmurs. She guessed other people noticed too.

Patch laughed and Elliot's cheeks got really pink. He put his arm around Elliot's shoulder. "Thanks guys."

It didn't seem like a big deal to the rest of the dancers. These people were great. Patch and Elliot walked over to Maya and Olivia.

Olivia hit Patch on the arm. "Oh my God. This is so great!"

Patch rolled his eyes. "Calm down Liv."

Maya looked at the two of them. "So is it officially official?"

Elliot looked to Patch and Patch nodded. Elliot smiled. "I guess so."

Olivia and Maya hugged them. They hugged them back and it turned into a group hug.

Maya smiled at Patch. "Congrats Patch."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, and good job on the rhyming."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So can we go through this routine again so I don't suck tomorrow?"

They both nodded.

"Lets go Chicken nugget." Elliot said.

Maya couldn't help but laugh.


	17. Pep Rally

AN: I just wanted to thank the people that read my story. It's my first one and I didn't expect anyone to actually read it and now I'm almost at 400 views, that might not seem like a lot to the more popular authors, but it is for me. So thanks for reading, here's the next chapter. XOXO

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Wild Life by Jack & Jack _

_**Pity Party by Melanie Martinez_

 _**The Bass by Amber Melody_

 _**Like a Boy by Ciara (Maya's dance routine)_

* * *

The gym was full of students. Juniors and Seniors had the pep rally last and they were finally done introducing all of the school sports. Kyle couldn't wait for it to be over. It definitely felt good to walk across the gym and have people cheer for him, but that was the most interesting part of the pep rally so far for him.

He took a seat on the bleachers next to Jon and some of his teammates. Jon was on his phone and when Kyle sat down next to him, he looked over at him. "What's with the look?"

Kyle sighed. "Just waiting for something interesting."

Jon smiled like he knew something he didn't. "Well, the cheerleaders are up next."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah...they do the same routine every time. Nothing I haven't seen before."

Jon grimaced. "Damn..."

The cheerleaders came out moments later and Kyle heard Jack sigh.

"I think I just died and went to heaven. Just look at the bodies down there dudes."

Mike and Chris agreed, Kyle rolled his eyes. They do this every time and any other time, he would've been right there with them. For some reason, he wasn't as interested as he used to be. It really wasn't like him to act like this.

He saw Ash, being the captain, stand at the front of the cheerleaders. After giving him an earful about talking to Maya yesterday, they weren't exactly on the best terms. When she found out that he wasn't going to apologize for talking to someone, she "forgave him", but there was nothing to forgive.

Sometimes she made him want to just scream in frustration, but he did what people expected him to do. Everyone expected them to be together. They were both popular and have been on and off for months, but Ash had chased away every female that got close to him. It's as if he was her property.

Ash smiled and waved at him before turning to the cheerleaders. He just nodded and sat back. When he looked over at Jon he saw something on his arm.

"Is that a tattoo?"

Jon looked down and nodded. "Yeah. Just got them on Monday."

Kyle looked to see another one on his other arm. They were both in Japanese.

"What do they mean?"

He felt the one on his right arm. "This one means Mom."

Kyle understood why he would get one for his mom. Not many guys had the balls to do that.

He looked at the one on his left arm. "This one means Angel, for Maya." Kyle saw him smile slightly.

He knew that he really cared about his sister. Blood or not, those two were just as much brother and sister as any other blood siblings.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

Jon nodded. "I do." He looked to Kyle. "And I know I'm not the only one."

Kyle knew what he meant and sighed. "Dude, we've been over this."

Jon smiled. "I know."

Kyle shook his head just as the cheerleaders started one of their cheer routines. To him it just looked like they were trying to flaunt their bodies.

Something caught Kyle's eye at the side of the gym.

Maya was sitting on the floor stretching. Kyle noticed that she was wearing different clothes.

She had on a white shirt, black sweatpants, and a black beanie, and her hair was out in her natural curls.

He saw her glance up at the bleaches. She waved to Jon and looked to see that Kyle was looking at her also. She waved to him then went back to stretching.

Kyle raised a brow.

"What's she doing down there?"

Jon shrugged. "She's getting ready."

"Getting ready for what?" Kyle asked.

Jon grinned. "My, my, someone's interested."

Kyle gave him a look. Jon laughed at him. "She's dancing." He finally said.

Kyle looked at him and furrowed his brows. "She is?"

Jon nodded. Kyle sat back and looked back down at her. He remembered her telling him once that one of her hobbies was dancing. He never really took it into consideration until now. Jon was right; he was interested.

Maya looked back to Jon then looked at the cheerleaders that were still flaunting themselves across the gym floor. When Maya looked back up at Jon, she mouthed 'Seriously?'.

Kyle heard Jon chuckle then he shrugged. Maya looked at the cheerleaders and crinkled her nose. Her face looked funny all scrunched up, it was cute in a way.

 _Did he just call her cute?_

He really needed to work on not saying stuff like that about her. It really wasn't helping anything. He looked to his right to see Jack, Mike, and Chris watching the cheerleaders intently. No need trying to get their attention.

When he looked back down at Maya, he saw a guy behind her. She didn't see him yet. The guy was tall, he looked about his height. He had black hair and dark eyes from what he could see.

When the guy spoke, Maya turned around to look at him. She got a huge smile on her face and jumped up to hug him, the force knocking her beanie off.

Kyle would be lying if he said that Maya hugging that guy made him feel nothing. He definitely felt something and that something wasn't good. His chest tightened and he noticed that his jaw clenched subconsciously.

This was not good. He should not be reacting this way, especially since he has a girlfriend, but somehow the word girlfriend or Ash was in the back of his mind.

All he could seem to focus on was Maya and whoever that guy was. He's never seen him around school, but she seems to know him pretty well.

"Who's that?" He couldn't help but ask Jon.

Jon looked down at her and the guy. "I think that's Patch, a guy from her dance studio." Kyle nodded.

So he was a dancer too, something that they had in common apparently. Kyle looked to see that they finally broke apart. The guy, Patch, looked down at her and smiled.

He saw him ruffle her hair a little before he picked up her beanie. Kyle didn't like the way he was touching her, even if it was just a hug. The action made him feel uncomfortable.

Maybe he did like her and that's why he felt like that. There really was no other explanation. He's spent so much time denying that he doesn't care, but he does. He couldn't do anything about it, that's for sure. This whole situation was getting more and more screwed up.

Maya sat back down with the guy as she continued to stretch. Kyle could see them talking, but he was too far away to hear what they were saying. He wished he knew what they were saying.

She put her shoes against his and held her arms out to him. The guy took them and helped her stretch until her face was on the floor. He then put his arms on her back and rested his head on them. When Maya came back up, she was laughing. Kyle somewhat hoped that he could make her laugh like that more often.

The two got up and the guy grabbed her shoulders, she nodded after he spoke, he smiled. Kyle couldn't help but notice that the guy hadn't really acknowledged the cheerleaders presence. It seemed like every guy in the gym, couldn't tear their eyes away.

All this guy could look at was her. He did some dance moves until he was back against the wall. His foot was on it and his arms were crossed. Maya laughed at him and copied his moves with ease until she was back against the wall with him. Kyle had to admit that she looked good.

The guy put his arm around her and they watched as the cheerleaders finished up. They both looked bored and uninterested.

Kyle looked to Jon. "You're okay with that?" He didn't know why Jon wasn't saying anything or being overprotective.

Jon shrugged. "It's not something I'm worried about."

Kyle didn't understand what his problem was. He thought he would react a lot different than that.

"Dammit it's over." Kyle heard Jack say.

Jon and Kyle both looked at him.

"What?" He said.

"Shut up." Kyle said.

The hype man for the pep rally walked to the center of the gym after the cheerleaders left. Kyle saw Ash walk towards him.

"Alright, alright, everybody listen up."

The gym got quiet.

"Okay. So I know this is where we usually end the pep rally, but we have one more thing for you guys today."

Ash got up to where Kyle was sitting. She told Jack to scoot over and she took a seat next to him.

"Hey babe. Did you like our cheers?" Kyle nodded, not really paying attention.

The hype guy continued. "So give it up for Maya Fray everybody!"

The students cheered.

Ash scoffed. "Ugh, what is she going to do?" She muttered. Kyle ignored her.

Maya pushed herself off the wall. The guy rubbed her shoulders as she laughed again. She rolled her neck just as the music started.

When she started walking towards the center, she made it look she tripped, but she made it into a dance move. She smiled and pointed at the guy. He shook his head and smiled at her.

"Yeah, Tenshi!" Jon yelled to her. She looked up to him and laughed.

Kyle recognized the song, it used to be really popular.

AN: link to the routine ( /_XHz6yM4hr0)

Maya continued to move around until the first set of lyrics started.

Kyle watched as she started dancing. Her movements were so sharp and precise, but looked fluid. It was obvious that she'd been dancing for a long time.

 _Was there anything that girl couldn't do?_

It was like he found out something new everyday.

Maya continued to dance and the students started to clap to the beat. She smiled to herself.

There was a collection of cheers from the guys when she rotated her hips.

 _Damn._

Kyle didn't cheer, but he wanted to.

She still danced and Kyle continued to watch her. She was amazing and he wasn't just talking about the dancing, but of course that was really good too.

The rhythm changed for a moment and she her movements became more forceful. It was like she became a powerhouse. She looked like she was full of energy.

The students continued to clap to the beat until the she finished the entire routine.

Everyone cheered for her. Some even stood up, including Jon and Jack.

She smiled and pointed to the DJ, he started to play the song again, but a remix this time. The guy walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She smiled wider.

They danced around until Maya got a mic.

"What are you guys still doing up there? Get down here."

People started to get up and walk to the floor. Kyle saw Jon and his teammates begin walking down, he got up to go with them.

"Babe. Can't you stay here with me?" Ash whined.

He shook his head and started walking. "It's a pep rally. We're meant to have _some_ fun."

She pouted as he walked away with Jon and the rest of his teammates.

Maya was dancing with the guy when the guys got to them.

Jon gave his little sister a fist bump and smiled. "Now that was nice."

People were still dancing around them. Kyle noticed that Jack, Mike, and Chris were dancing.

Maya turned to the guy and smiled. "Patch, this is my brother Jon and my...friend Kyle. Guys this is Patch."

They all said hey to each other. Kyle noticed how she hesitated when she said they were friends. He hoped that they were friends.

Jon looked at Patch. "So you're Patch. Nice to finally put a face with the name, considering how much she talks about you."

Maya laughed and Patch smiled and nodded. Kyle did not like the thought of her talking about him so much. He was really starting to sound like an asshole.

Patch glanced down at his watch and turned to Maya. "I should head over to the studio. See you there?"

Maya nodded. "Of course."

He smiled. "Okay. Later, Pants on fire."

She laughed. "Later, Cabbage Patch."

He pointed at her as he backed away. "You're getting good at that."

She shook her head. "I try."

He smiled and waved at Kyle and Jon before leaving.

"Pants on fire?" Jon asked. Kyle nodded, wondering what that was all about.

She smiled. "Yeah it's Patch's nickname for me. He thinks it rhymes with Maya, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't."

Jon shook his head. "You two are a special pair."

 _Pair? What does he mean pair?_

Kyle didn't know what to think anymore.

 _They can't really be dating though, right?_

It shouldn't matter to him, but he's starting to care a lot more than he should. He still felt like an idiot for arguing with her. He wondered if she was just throwing him a bone when she called him her friend.

Maya turned to Jon. "I should head over to the studio too."

He nodded and gave her a hug. She turned and waved to Kyle before she left. He waved back as she walked away from them.

Jon gave him a weird look and patted his back. "Lighten up dude."

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh... I'll be right back."

Jon nodded just as Stephanie walked up to him. They started talking and Kyle took off into the direction that Maya went. He just needed to talk to her alone.

When he got out of the gym, he started walking down the hallway. He heard Jack's voice just before he turned the corner.

Kyle peered around it and saw Jack and Maya. She was against the wall and Jack stood in front of her.

"You looked really good out there." He said.

She smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "So was that guy with you your boyfriend?"

She giggled. "Who Patch? Not in the least."

Kyle would be lying if he said that didn't make him feel a little better.

"So you're single?" Jack asked.

She nodded. "Yeah..."

Jack feigned innocence. "Would you want to maybe...go out with me sometime?"

Maya looked surprised. "You...you want to go on a date...with me?"

It sounded like she didn't believe him.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, a date. So what do you say?"

She looked at him and Kyle could see the blush forming on her cheeks.

"Uhh...sure. I'm free on Sunday."

"Great. So here's my number and I'll text you I guess."

He took out a pen and wrote it on her hand. She did the same on his and handed him back his pen.

Kyle stopped watching and started walking down the other hallway to get to the locker rooms.

So she was seriously going to go out with Jack, his best friend. How can he sit back and watch as his best friend takes out the girl that he can't stop thinking about?

When Kyle got to the locker room, he saw that no one was there yet. He sat on the bench and gripped his hair. God, he was so stupid.

When did his life turn into the huge complicated mess it is now? He somewhat wished that he could go back to simpler times when he had the hot girlfriend and everyone idolized him. Where his looks got him anything he wanted from any girl in the school. He used to be proud of that person he was. He was so naïve. Now he realizes that having the girls and the attention count for nothing now.

The girl that he might actually have real feelings for, barely acknowledges his existence.

All the crap that he dishes out, she sees right through it. Usually he would give girls just one look and they would be crawling to him, but not her. She showed him up and ignored him, she was so difficult.

But a part of him likes that she's not so easy to sway. He likes that she's not just going to hand herself over to him. She's a tough shell to crack, that's for sure.

Kyle stood up from the bench and opened his locker. Some of his teammates began filing in. Mike and Chris came in and went to their lockers.

"That was the best pep rally we had this year." Chris said. Mike nodded as they turned to Kyle.

"Hey dude what did you think–"

"You guys wouldn't believe what just happened." Jack came jogging into the locker room.

Kyle knew exactly what he was going to say and he did not want to stick around for it, so he quickly got dressed.

"What?" Chris asked.

Jack smiled. "I asked out Fray's sister. She said yes, by the way."

Mike patted him on the back. "Congrats dude."

Jack sighed. "It's about time. I was beginning to think that I lost it. I haven't got any in months and did you see those moves out there?"

Kyle slammed his locker shut. "Dude, what the fuck are you talking about?" He hoped he wasn't talking about doing anything like that to her.

Jack smirked. "I think you know what I'm talking about. That's if Josh's dumbass didn't scare her or anything. All I know is that I want to be the first here to get a piece of that."

Kyle couldn't help but get angry at his best friend. "So you're taking her out just to get sex out of her?"

Jack shook his head. "It's not just sex. She actually seems cool, but sex would be nice too." He smiled.

"You don't really like her, you're just looking for a good fuck then you're never going to talk to her again." Kyle said.

"You know me and I'm not a relationship guy. You were the same way before Ash claimed you. I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like we both won't benefit."

Kyle knew that what he said was true. He used to be just like that. The reminder kind of made him feel disgusted with himself. He never really was a relationship kind of guy. Hell, he still isn't, but the thought of Jack doing to her what he's done plenty of times to other girls made him sick.

"What about Fray man? That is his little sister." Mike asked him.

"Who says we have to tell him. It's not like she needs his permission."

"Whatever dude. How do you even know she'll go through with it?" Chris jumped in.

Jack smirked. "Give her a taste of the Jack charm. She'll go through with it."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He moved to walk past him.

Jack furrowed his brows. "Dude. What's up? I thought you would be happy for me."

Kyle shook his head. "I am. It's just, she's Alex's friend and I don't want her in my ear about what you did to her." That wasn't the real reason, but he went with it.

Jack nodded. "I get it, but dude, I got this under control."

Kyle sighed. "I hope you do."

And he really hoped he did.

.o.O.o.

Maya couldn't believe it. She was asked out on a date by an actual guy. At first she thought he was joking. Why would he want to take her out? She didn't get it. No one had ever asked her out before.

She didn't know the first thing about going on a date. Of course she's seen dates on tv, but what if it's not the same thing?

 _Ugh, this was so frustrating._

She needed to talk to Alex. Alex would know what to do.

When Maya got home from the studio, she got cleaned up then immediately called Alex.

" _Hello?_ " Alex picked up.

"Hey Alex, I really need your help with something."

" _My help? Well you should definitely come over._ "

"Okay I'll be over in two minutes. Refrain from dragging me to your room this time."

Alex laughed. " _Fine, but hurry!_ "

Maya hung up the phone and headed over to Alex's house.

When Alex opened the door, they walked up to her room. Alex didn't drag or rush her, thankfully.

They sat on Alex's bed.

"So what's up?"

"I was asked on a date."

Alex jumped up. "By who!"

Maya looked around. "Jack."

"Hottie McHot Jack?"

Maya raised a brow. "I guess."

Alex clapped her hands together. "Omg you have to let me help you get ready."

Maya scoffed. "Uh duh. Who else would I have help me."

Alex smiled. "That is true. So when's the date."

"I told him I was free on Sunday."

Alex nodded. "Sunday. Great."

"So what am I supposed to do? I've never been on a date."

Alex looked at her. "There's not really anything specific that you should do. Just go with the flow."

"Go with the flow?"

She nodded. "Yup."

Maya took a deep breath. "Okay. It doesn't sound that hard."

Alex agreed.

"Oh yeah. I meant to tell you that you did great today."

Maya smiled. "Thanks."

Maya looked down at here phone. "I should head back. Gotta help mom with dinner."

Alex nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Yup." Maya waved goodbye then walked downstairs.

As soon as she got to the last step, the door opened. Maya looked up to see Kyle walking through the door in his soccer uniform.

They looked at each other before she spoke. "Hey Kyle."

"Hey Maya." He stayed where he was.

She walked closer to him. "I was just heading out."

He nodded and stepped to the side. She walked towards the door.

"Maya?"

She stopped and turned to him. "Yeah?"

He stood in front of her. "Did you mean what you said earlier about us being friends?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Did you want me to mean it?"

He nodded. "Well yeah. I think we've passed the whole acquaintance stage."

She looked down. "I just hesitated because I thought you were still mad at me."

He shook his head. "I was never mad at you."

She looked up. "Really?"

He nodded. "I said some stuff that I didn't mean, but I really do think of you as a friend."

She smiled. "Good."

"Okay." He smiled and went upstairs.

"Later Goldie." She called before she left.

"Later." He called back.

She jogged back to her house.


	18. Bad Days

A lot happens in this chapter so enjoy ;)

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**California Dreamin' by Sia_

 _**Lightweight by Demi Lovato_

 _**Medicine by Daughter_

 _**All of the Stars by Ed Sheeran_

* * *

When Maya woke up on Friday morning, she groaned, got out of bed and went to use the bathroom to get ready for school. As she passed her door, she glanced at her calendar

 _March 17th_

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked to make sure she was right. She looked again and it was really March 17th. Her blood ran cold in her veins and her eyes widened. What was wrong with her?

 _How in the hell could she forget one of the worst days of her life?_

She just stood there staring at the date before she snapped herself back into focus and walked to the bathroom to get her morning shower. It felt like she was a ghost, like she wasn't even there. With the pep rally and getting asked out, she completely forgot. Knowing what today was felt like a slap to the face and she definitely knew what that felt like.

She took off her clothes, looked into the mirror and glanced at her scars. Sometimes it felt like she just got them yesterday, but she knew that it was nine years ago.

 _Nine years ago from today._

She's been trying ever since to clear those traumatic images from her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't forget what was done to her. No therapist could ever help her. She'd just learned to live with it. It wasn't easy, but she was just surviving.

Maya shook herself out of yet another daze and got into the shower. She knew that her day would only get worse. Her mother and Jon both knew that she needed time when the date came around. Jon knew not to say anything to upset her because she didn't know if she would be able to take it. This day always made it hard for her to control her emotions. She just hoped that no one at school would do anything to upset her. The possibility almost made her not want to go, but not going would be letting _them_ win. She couldn't let them rule her life anymore. It wasn't like she did it on purpose. The day had just always been hard for her.

When Maya got finished showering, she made her way over to her room and got dressed into a white shirt, dark jeans, and black combat boots. She didn't even bother doing anything with her hair besides brushing it out.

Jon knocked on her door moments later. She looked to see him standing in the doorway. "Hey." He said.

She sighed. "Hey."

Jon walked over and sat on her bed. She followed him. "What's up?"

He sighed. "I know that today makes you feel like shit, but I want you to know that I love you and you're the strongest person that I know."

She couldn't help but smile at him. "Thanks Jon. You know I'll always love you and mom for taking me in."

He smiled. "I wouldn't have wanted anybody else to be my sister. You know you're getting better at this, I remember some years where you couldn't even get out of bed. You just need time."

She nodded. "Okay." He hugged her then put his arm over her shoulder. "Let's go eat."

She saw that he was already dressed for school. He must have used their mom's shower.

They walked downstairs together and Jocelyn immediately walked over to Maya to hug her. "Oh sweetie, It's so good to see you. You don't understand how proud of you I am. I love you so much."

Maya hugged the woman that will always be her mother. "Thanks mom. I love you too."

Jon smiled then Maya pulled him into a hug, their mom joined.

"You guys have no idea how much you mean to me. You're the only family that I have, and all that I need."

They just hugged her tighter in response. Maya had never felt so cared for until she was taken in by the Fray's. To be a part of their family, a family, meant the world to her.

Jon and Maya quickly ate their breakfast then headed off to school.

Maybe she could make it through the day.

.o.O.o.

Maya walked into her Art class with Jon. He'd told her earlier that he wanted to be close to her as much as possible today because he knew that she was just a ticking time bomb.

The bell rang and he turned to look at her. "You going to be okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

He smiled before taking his seat. She took hers next to Alex.

"Bad morning?"

Maya nodded. "You could say that."

"Understandable." Alex didn't ask her any questions and she was grateful for that.

When Kyle took his seat, he glanced in her direction. He smiled and waved at her before the bell rang again. She waved back and gave him a slight smile. It was all her body was allowing her to give him. It was like her mind was telling her to do one thing, but her body did another. She would just have to deal with it as the day went on.

.o.O.o.

As the day continued, Maya's mood changed from just feeling low to angry. She wanted to know why this happened to her.

 _What did she ever do to deserve what they did to her?_

 _Was she not a good enough child?_

 _Was it some kind of sick joke life played on her?_

Whatever it was, it just made her angry _._ She needed distractions. That was what she did all her life anyway. The dancing, singing, piano, art, etcetera. All to distract her from her reality. It kept her from thinking about the things that happened to her.

 _That night_.

 _The scars._

 _Ugh, like she could ever forget what happened._

When the bell rang for lunch, she was the first one out of the door. She seriously needed a distraction.

Jon stood outside of her classroom. "Come on. You're eating lunch with me today." She just nodded and walked with him to the cafeteria.

Not many people were in the cafeteria when they got there. Maya texted Alex and told her that she was sitting with Jon today and that she was sorry.

Her and Jon stood in the lunch line to grab their lunch. Maya just decided to get an apple and a water, not really having much of an appetite at the moment. Jon didn't say anything as they walked over to a table.

"So talk to me. What's going through that head of yours?" Jon said as they sat down.

She sighed. "I'm just angry at _them_. Like what could a child do to make them deserve that kind of treatment?"

Jon put his arm around her shoulders. "You didn't do anything. Those people were just so fucked up that they didn't see how great you were."

She nodded. "They were so fucked up that they ended up fucking me up."

Jon shook his head. "That was a lot of fucks."

She shrugged. "They were necessary."

He nodded.

She took a bite of her apple. "You know, I almost forgot about today."

He turned to her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I've just been so busy lately that it slipped my mind. Maybe it means I'm getting better at this."

"I think you are."

She actually smiled at that.

.o.O.o.

After Kyle got his lunch he looked out at the cafeteria. He saw Jon sitting with Maya near the back.

Kyle knew that something was wrong with Maya. She just seemed really out of it today. He didn't know what it was that was bothering her, but he knew that she was not acting like herself.

He wasn't going to ask questions. For one; it was none of his business and if he knew anything about being in that kind of state, it was that smothering with questions made it worse.

Kyle walked over to their table and sat across from them. They both looked up when he sat down. Jon gave him a quick nod of his head and Maya just looked at him.

"Hey, Goldie." She said.

He was relieved that she could still use his nickname, even when he could tell something was bothering her.

"Hey guys."

He looked around to see more people crowding into the cafeteria. It was starting to get louder with the different conversations being started.

Some of the people that he usually sat with during lunch came to sit at the table.

He didn't even know who most of them were.

Jon looked at him. "Do we have practice today?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah."

Jon looked at his sister then back to him. "Tell coach that I'm not going to be able to make it. I have other things I have to do."

He assumed that Jon was talking about Maya, so he nodded. "I got you."

Maya turned to Jon. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." He said.

"Okay."

There were a few moments of silence as they ate. The people around them continued to talk. Kyle noticed that Jack didn't say anything to Maya when he sat down. Probably because Jon was sitting next to her.

She didn't really seem to notice or care at the moment.

"Why is she sitting at _our_ table?"

Kyle looked up to see Ash with her posse behind her. The girls stayed quiet as Ash stood behind Maya with a look of disgust on her face.

Maya rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Listen, Barbie, today is _not_ the day."

Ash laughed, so the girls behind her did also.

"Barbie huh? Okay freak, when is the day, because I want to go to it right now."

Maya laughed without humor. "Okay. I only have so much of a hold on my self control right now. So if you don't want your pretty little face to get rearranged, I suggest you don't talk to me."

Some of the people at the table stopped talking and started looking at the two girls. There were a couple "oohs". Everyone there was so immature, but hell, if it was a month ago and if one of the girls wasn't Maya, he would've been right there with them.

Maya turned back around. Ash huffed and took a cup of water from one of the girl's tray and poured the entire cup on Maya's head.

"Looks to me like you need to cool down." She laughed and walked to the other side of the table.

Jon's eyes widened just as Maya pounded her fist to the table and jumped up.

"I'm going to rip your ass out through your mouth!" She attempted to jump across the table.

Jon reacted quickly by wrapping his arms around her midsection and holding her back. She struggled in his grasp.

"Let me go Jon! Let me go."

Jon took a few steps back and put her down. He gripped her shoulders, forced her look at him, then said something to her in Japanese. Maya nodded and looked down at her hands. Kyle noticed that they were shaking, that her whole body was shaking. Her hair and most of her clothes were soaked. He knew that she was seething with anger and when he looked outside, he saw dark clouds forming and knew that it was her doing it. Jon said something else and pointed to the cafeteria exit. She glanced at the exit then looked down and nodded. She didn't look back as she headed towards the exit. Practically everyone watched her. Kyle saw that her fists were balled up and her body was tense. Her shoulders rose and fell quickly with each breath, and when she got near the doors she looked to her right at the display case.

"God Dammit!" She screamed. Her fist went through the display case and the glass shattered. There were multiple gasps and the cafeteria fell silent.

Maya grabbed her hand and forcefully pushed through the cafeteria doors. The doors slammed shut, but no one spoke.

When Jon turned around, he looked furious. His eyes locked with Ash's and Kyle heard her squeak.

Jon's stare fell on Kyle. "Keep her the hell away from my sister." He pointed to Ash, then went to go after Maya.

Kyle turned to Ash and stood up. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She looked around. "She got what was coming to her."

He narrowed his eyes at her, shook his head, and back away from her.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To fix the mess that you made."

She gaped at him before he turned around and headed for the doors.

She was really starting to piss him off.

.o.O.o.

Kyle walked down the hallway until he saw Jon. He was standing outside of the nurse's office.

"Dude. Is she okay?"

Jon turned to him and shook his head. "Not really. I'm taking her home, she's in no state to drive by herself."

He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

Jon sighed and ran a hand over his face. "She was doing so good today." He whispered.

Kyle leaned against the wall opposite of Jon. "Look I'm sorry about Ash. She can be a bitch sometimes."

Jon gave him a look.

"Okay most of the time." He corrected himself.

"Then why stay with her if you feel that way?" Jon asked him.

He scratched the back of his head. "I don't really have an answer to that."

Jon looked at him. "Well maybe you should find one." He had a good point.

"Could you tell her what I said?"

Jon nodded. "Sure."

Maya walked out of the nurse's office moments later. Kyle glanced down at her hand and saw that it was wrapped up. Her hair and clothes were still wet.

Jon walked over to her. "Ready?"

She nodded and looked up at Kyle. He saw her face soften slightly, but he could still see the anger in her eyes. He backed away from the two to give them some space. She only needed Jon right now.

She gave him a quick wave before he left. He just gave her a quick nod in return.

.o.O.o.

"So, did Ash really pour water on Maya's head?"

Kyle glared at his sister.

 _Why did she have to bring this up during dinner?_

Max, Maryse, and Robert looked up from their dinner. They were all finally eating dinner as a family because Robert was finally home.

With everyone together, it made him feel like even more of an outsider. Alex and Max had the privilege of calling both Maryse and Robert their parents. He didn't.

"Wait. Who's Maya?" Robert asked. He obviously had some catching up to do.

"Maya is Alex's friend." Maryse told him.

"She's my friend too." Max added.

"And mine." Kyle thought he should put that out there.

Alex furrowed her brows at him. "Since when?"

He shrugged "I don't know."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So is it true?"

Kyle sat back in his seat. "Yes."

"Why would she do that?" Alex asked him. As if he knew the answer to that. He didn't live inside of Ash's head.

"I don't know why."

Max frowned. "That's because she's mean."

"Wait. Why would anyone want to do that to Maya? She's so sweet and nice." Maryse asked him.

"Yeah why?" Robert joined in.

Kyle stood up from his chair. "I don't know why, so could everyone just stop pestering me?"

He looked at them then shook his head.

"Can I be excused?"

He didn't wait for an answer and just went up to his room. When he got inside, he shut and locked his door. It wasn't like anyone would come after him. Nobody really cared enough to.

He walked over to his bed. It was only 8:30 so the sun had set already. He was tired and he really didn't need everyone asking him questions about things that he had nothing to do with. Nobody even asked him about how his day was. Sometimes he just felt so irrelevant, so isolated. They barely paid attention to him. Max was the only one who noticed him in the house. He looked up to him, thought that he was "awesome", but he was terrible role model for Max and if Max wanted the best for himself, he wouldn't turn out like him.

There was a tap on Kyle's window and he listened in to make sure that he wasn't just hearing things.

 _Tap. Tap._

He furrowed his brows and walked over to his window. There was no telling what was causing the noise. He opened the window and peered his head out. When he did, he came face to face with a small pebble.

He looked up to see Maya sitting in her window with a few pebbles floating above her hand.

She grimaced. "Sorry." The pebbles dropped to the ground.

He lifted his window up a little more so he could sit in it like her. Once he sat down, he looked at her.

"It's no big deal. What's up?"

"I was trying to get your attention because I wanted to talk to you. It's okay if you're busy though." She said.

Even if he was busy, he still wouldn't leave. He was just relieved that she wanted to talk to him.

"No I'm not busy."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. It didn't feel awkward or anything. He didn't feel the need to hold the conversation. If something came up then so be it.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked

He raised a brow. "How did you know that something was wrong with me?"

She looked at him for a moment. "You just seem a little...off and trust me, I know what that's like."

He sighed "I was just having dinner with my parents." He pointed back into his house.

Her eyebrows rose. "Your parents are home?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but not for long. They'll probably be gone again next week."

She looked down. "Are you okay with that?"

He thought about it. "Not really. They barely acknowledge me while they're here. Sometimes I just feel like I'm an outsider in my own family."

She looked up at him. "That sucks. You shouldn't have to feel that way. _They_ shouldn't make you feel that way."

He shrugged. "It could be worse."

And it could be worse. His problems were like nothing compared to other people's problems.

"But it still affects you." She said.

He nodded. "I know, but we all have our issues. We just have to learn how to deal with them."

She shook her head. "I wish that it was that easy."

"Me too."

He noticed that they were only talking about him and he was okay with that. She obviously didn't want to talk about what was bothering her. He wasn't going to force her to talk.

"So you really meant it when you said you would talk to me."

He knew what she was talking about. That night at the lake when he told her that he would always be there if she needed someone to talk to.

"Of course. We are friends after all."

She smiled slightly at him. "Yeah. I guess we are."

It felt good to hear her say that.

She looked up at the sky and rubbed her arms. "It's getting late. I should head back inside."

He nodded. "Yeah. I should probably just go to bed anyway."

She looked up at him. "Well goodnight, Goldie. Thanks for talking to me."

He smiled. "No problem. We should do this more often."

She nodded. "Deal."

She backed out of the window and shut it. He did the same with his and just got ready for bed. There was just nothing else he had to do.

.o.O.o.

 _Kyle watched as Maya laughed again. They were both in some kind of field during sunset. He didn't know how or when he got there, but he didn't care because she was there with him._ _She turned around and smiled at him. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. He watched as the warm glow of the sun hit her face, making her features look angelic in a way._ _She was only wearing a white sundress and her hair was down in loose curls. Kyle looked down to see that she didn't have any shoes on and_ _that he was wearing jeans and a white shirt. When he looked back up, everything seemed to return to a normal speed. The slow motion was gone and he could finally see what was happening._

 _Maya was running through the field. He was also running, chasing her, and he was getting closer._

 _She looked behind her again and giggled. "Catch me if you can." She said._

 _Kyle smiled and tried to run faster. He was a soccer player so he should have been able to outrun her._ _When he caught up to her, she squealed. He wrapped his arms around her waist. They both laughed as he spun her around._

 _"Got you." He whispered to her._

 _He put her back down and she smiled at him before sitting down in the grass. He followed, and sat down with her._ _She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. The wind was blowing her hair and the sun glowed on her skin._ _She looked care free and peaceful. It was nice to see her this way. He wished that she felt this way all of the time._ _She opened her eyes and looked over at him, squinting slightly because of the sun. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She smiled at him._

 _He didn't say anything, just moved closer to her. She watched him as he reached his hand out to cup her cheek._ _He looked down into her big gray eyes, the glow of the sun making them look even brighter. She looked up at him with the same intensity._

 _"You know...I really care about you Kyle." She said._

 _He leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. She reached up and held his wrist, never looking away from him._

 _"I really care about you too."_

 _She looked between both of his eyes like she was trying to see if he was telling the truth. He definitely meant what he said._

 _His gaze fell to her lips and he saw her glance at his. She looked back into his eyes._ _His hand slipped to the back of her neck and he slowly brought her face to his. It was just them; together; alone._

 _Their lips brushed and his eyes slipped closed–_

Kyle was jolted awake by the sound of his phone blaring. He groaned, laid back down, then checked the time. It was 3:00 in the morning and he was just dreaming.

 _Who the hell was calling him so late at night?_

He picked up his phone from the nightstand and checked the called I.D.

 _Jon_.

He answered it and hoped to God that it was important. If not, he might actually have to kill him.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse from sleep.

" _Oh good. You're awake_." Jon sounded relieved.

Kyle furrowed his brows. "Dude. What's going on? It's 3:00 in the morning."

There was silence then Jon sighed. " _It's Maya._ "

That was enough to get Kyle out of the bed. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

" _No. She's having a nightmare and I can't wake her up. I need your help._ " Jon said.

Kyle was already up looking for shoes. "Okay. I'm coming now."

Jon sighed again. " _Okay, but hurry. The doors unlocked_." He hung up after that.

Kyle found a pair of shoes and hurried to slip them on. He didn't even know if they were the same shoe and he was too distracted to care.

He looked around his room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. "What the hell are you doing?" He said to himself.

He unlocked his door and quietly made his way downstairs. Once he saw that no one was around, he hurried out of the front door. He took off into a sprint to Jon and Maya's house. When he got to their front door, he opened it and quickly went up the stairs. He took a breath and opened her door. His eyebrows shot up at the scene before him. Jon was pacing next to her bed and as Kyle got closer, he could see Maya's face. Her face was all scrunched up and she looked terrified.

"Shit."

Jon turned to him like he just noticed that he got there. He got out of Kyle's way, walked over to her front door, sat down, and ran a hand over his face. Kyle turned his attention back to Maya. Her brows were pulled together like she was in pain and she was mumbling something. She needed to wake up.

"Maya. Maya wake up." She didn't budge.

He tried again, this time gripping her shoulder. "Maya. Wake up. It's just a nightmare." He shook her slightly. She stopped mumbling and he could tell that she was slowly waking up.

He tried one more time. "Maya. It's Kyle. I need you to wake up."

Her eyes flew open and she was breathing heavily. He could see all of the fear and horror in her eyes.

"Kyle?" She whimpered.

He didn't like how scared she sounded. It wasn't fair to her that these things continued to haunt her. Her face contorted and it looked like she was about to cry. Kyle reacted quickly and hurried to take off his shoes. Once they were off, he got into the bed with her.

He put her head under his chin and draped his arm across her waist. "I'm here. Everything's going to be okay." He really hoped that she would be okay.

She buried her face into his chest and started sobbing. He wished that he could take her pain away. She didn't need all of this in her life. She'd been through so much already and she wasn't even an adult yet.

He reached up to run his fingers through her hair, trying to lull her back to sleep.

"It's okay." He whispered to her.

After a while, her breathing returned to a normal pace and her sobs subsided. He sighed and continued to run his fingers through her hair. He wanted to make sure that she was able to fall back to sleep without her nightmares coming back.

After about ten minutes, he could tell that she was completely asleep. He stopped running his fingers through her hair and draped his arm back across her waist. Her hands were by her head, which was still buried into his chest.

"This is sort of déjà vu, if you think about it."

Kyle had almost forgotten that Jon was there. He looked at him still sitting against her door.

"Yeah, but not the good kind."

Jon nodded in agreement.

The room fell quiet again. Jon looked at the two of them for a moment.

"You're really good with her, you know."

Kyle shook his head. "You say that as if she's a baby."

Jon smiled slightly. "She is in some ways. I mean, she's my baby sister and I know that there aren't many people that could do what you just did."

"I just did what anyone else would do." He shrugged.

Jon shook his head. "That's not the reason. You did it because you care about her and don't bullshit me about how you don't feel that way about her."

Kyle sighed and shifted until he was on his back. Maya adjusted herself so that her head was on his chest and her arm was draped across his midsection. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She let out a sigh.

"I will admit that I care about her, a lot actually, but it's just...complicated."

Jon raised a brow. "How?"

He sighed again. "Jack already asked her out."

Jon shook his head. "Yeah she told me. But Jack doesn't care about her like you do. He doesn't know the things that you know and he doesn't look at her like you do."

"But Jack is one of my best friends. Not to mention that I also have a girlfriend." He told him.

"I told you that this would blow up in your face. You waited too long to tell her how you felt and now Jack is swooping in."

Kyle scratched the back of his head. "I know, it's just everything is so messed up and I don't even know if she feels that way about me. Like what if this is just one sided? We're friends now and I don't to screw that up."

Jon nodded. "I get that, but I think she does. Like whenever she's around you she gets nervous and starts rambling. She told me that she doesn't like how you make her act like such a girl."

Kyle smiled. "But that's what she is."

Jon shook his head. "She's not like the kind of girls that you're used to. She won't be caught dead in a dress, high heals are death traps to her, and she'll never pile a lot of makeup on her face."

Kyle was okay with everything Jon just told him. He liked that she didn't put on a show, that she was real with who she was.

"I like that about her." He told Jon.

Jon smiled. "Good. Now you just have to work on the Jack and Ash thing and you'll be golden."

Kyle scoffed. "Like its that easy. Ash already doesn't like her. What will her and her posse do to Maya if they found out I liked her?"

He heard Jon chuckle. "Maya can handle her own. She probably would've done exactly what she said she was going to do to Ash if I didn't hold her back."

Kyle looked down a ran his fingers across her bandaged hand. "I can see that. She practically murdered that display case."

Jon grimaced. "Yeah. Mom's not going to be happy about that."

Kyle furrowed his brows. "Where is your mom?"

"She's staying with a friend upstate, she has some extra work and her friend is closer to her job."

He nodded. That was one less thing he had to worry about. He really didn't need to get on their mother's bad side by sleeping with her daughter, literally of course.

"So I would ask you if you would mind staying with her, but I already know you don't. My room is across the hall. I'm going back to bed so wake me up if she has another one."

Kyle nodded. "Okay, but I'll probably be gone by morning before everyone wakes up."

"That's fine." Jon assured him.

Kyle nodded as Jon opened the door. He turned around just before he left. "I hope you work this out. You could be good for her."

After that, Jon left out of the room and closed the door. Kyle sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

He'd only known Maya for a couple months, but she had already become someone important to him. She listened to him, called him out on his bullshit, and made him feel like he could be himself around her. He used to think that _he_ had it bad. That his family was screwed up. Hearing some of the things that she had been through made his problems seem like nothing and she handled them so well. If you didn't know her, you would've thought she was perfectly okay. They've both built so many walls so no one knew how they were really feeling. He wanted to be the one to make her open up and break down the walls she'd put up.

Maybe she could help him too or maybe they could help each other.

He had so many obstacles to pass before he could make a move. It wasn't going to be easy, he knew that. She could even reject him, but to him, it would be worth it.

 _She_ would be worth it.


	19. Hallelujah

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Watch Me Rise by Mikky Ekko_

 _**Hallelujah (cover) by Alyssa Bernal *Original lyrics to Hallelujah owned by Jeff Buckley_

 _**War of Hearts by Ruelle_

* * *

The nearly scalding hot water fell from the shower head, rolling over Maya's shoulders and down the length of her body. The anniversary of the day that continued to haunt her was finally over. She thought that she would finally be able to get through it, but she couldn't keep her calm. The first person that upset her made her lash out and lose control. She probably should have ignored Ash, but how could she when all Ash did was antagonize her?

Maya still didn't know why Ash didn't like her. She never did anything to her, she barely even knew her. Maybe that's just how she is to everyone, but that doesn't make it any better.

She was still kind of foggy about what happened the night before. She knew that she had a nightmare, but she wasn't sure if she imagined Kyle coming over. It seemed pretty real, but then again all dreams and nightmares do. She probably just imagined it anyway. Her mind probably projected him as a defense mechanism. He seemed to be able to calm her down like Jon could. She would have to ask, but she would look like an idiot if she were wrong.

Her and Kyle had just become friends and she didn't want things to be awkward between them. She could ask Jon, but he might make it into a joke. All she knew was; she had a nightmare and someone or something helped her. She just hoped that she wasn't going crazy.

Maya got out of the shower, dried off and put on some clothes. She didn't dare look in the mirror. Yesterday was enough of a reminder of that night.

When she got downstairs, she saw that Jon was already in the kitchen eating cereal. It figured; mom wasn't home so he opted for cereal. She guessed that she would have the same.

She walked over to the cabinet, grabbed a bowl, and sat down with Jon. He looked up when he saw her sit down.

She gave him a small smile. "Hey Jon."

His eyebrows shot up. "Hey..."

She guessed that he was wondering why she was talking. For some reason she felt comfortable talking even though she had a nightmare.

He smiled after he shook himself out of his daze. "You're talking."

She poured some cereal into her bowl. "So."

He gave her a look that said _seriously_.

"You never talk the morning after a nightmare." He told her.

She poured the milk into her bowl and looked at him. "How did you know that I had a nightmare?"

"I went to check on you and saw that you were having one. You wouldn't wake up."

Maybe he could tell her what happened.

"So what happened?"

He raised a brow. "You don't remember?"

She took a bite of her cereal and shook her head. She wasn't sure if what she remembered really happened.

Jon ran a hand down his face. "I couldn't wake you up and mom wasn't home. The only other person who knew about your nightmares was Kyle so he came over, woke you up, and waited until you went back to sleep."

Her eyebrows shot up. "He came here in the middle of the night?" So that was definitely not a dream.

Jon nodded. "Yeah. I think he left this morning."

"You're saying that Kyle slept with me all night?" Her cheeks burned at her choice of words, but Jon knew what she meant.

He laughed. "Literally, yes. You looked pretty comfortable actually."

Maya smiled and shook her head. "Whatever."

Jon smiled at her. "You should call him or something and thank him." He got up and put his bowl in the sink.

"If you need me, I'll be on the phone with Stephanie." He grabbed his phone and disappeared from the room.

Maya turned back around and ate her cereal. She really hoped that Kyle wasn't getting tired of her. This is the second time that he had to stop what he was doing to help her.

He'd seen sides of her that most people will never see. He saw her raw and unrefined. She really needed to learn how to handle these things on her own. People shouldn't always have to deal with her problems. It was unfair to burden others with her issues.

That was probably why she never really made a lot of friends, because she never opened up. People would ask her questions about her life and she would just become closed off.

Maya finished up her cereal and put her and Jon's dishes in the dish washer. She hoped that he found a really good wife or a maid because he was terrible at cleaning up after himself.

She glanced down at her hand and took off the bandage she put on earlier. There was only one small cut across her knuckles. Nothing too severe, so she just let it breath for now.

When she got to her bedroom, she walked over to her window. Kyle's window was opened slightly so she opened her window and sat in it.

The sun was shining brightly and there was a slight breeze. Her eyes sparked as she looked at his window. She sucked in a sharp breath and a gust of wind flew past her towards the window.

Maya sat and waited until he looked out of it. She really didn't want to use pebbles again after what almost happened last time.

Kyle opened his window and peered out again. His eyes locked with hers, he smiled and shook his head.

"You know there's this thing called texting. It's really easy to do." He sat himself in the window.

She smiled. "If you had powers, would you text people when you didn't have to?"

He smirked. "Touché"

She saw him glance at the tree between their houses then down at the ground. He reached up and drummed his hands against the wall above him.

"So what's up?" He looked at her.

Maya swung her legs and looked at him. "Could you maybe come over? I want to show you something."

He looked back into his room then back to her and grimaced. "I'm kinda grounded for sneaking out, but I'll still come over."

She shook her head. "I don't want you to get into anymore trouble."

He held out one finger and slipped back into his room. She sat and waited like he said. Moments later, he came back to the window.

"I'll be there in a minute."

Maya raised a brow at him.

He looked at the tree between their houses. She watched as he tested the weight of a branch beside his window.

"I'm going to break my goddamn neck." He said.

"You know, it can wait really." She really didn't want to watch him fall from a tree.

He shook his head. "I got this...maybe."

She scoffed. "Here. Let me help."

His eyebrows rose. Her eyes sparked and the branch by his window grew longer and kept growing until it was in her room. She stopped and looked at him.

He smiled. "That makes this a lot easier."

She heard him sigh before he set himself on the branch. He slowly made it across the distance between their houses. Once inside of her room, he let out a relieved breath. Her eyes sparked as she moved the branch back. He looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"So...yeah. Follow me." She said.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Okay."

.o.O.o.

Kyle followed Maya down the stairs. She walked down the hallway and opened another door, the basement he was assuming. He'd never seen their basement before so he was slightly skeptical.

When they got to the basement, she turned on the lights. He looked around and saw that it was really similar to his basement. There was a tv, sofa, more lounging furniture, but near the back was a grand piano.

Kyle walked over to the sleek black grand piano and slid his fingers over the keys. He saw her sit at the bench from the corner of his eye so he sat down next to her.

"What did you want to show me?"

She took a breath and turned to him. "Jon told me about last night so I wanted to say thanks...again, but just saying thanks isn't enough. So since you showed me your music, which is personal to you, I wanted to show you mine. Is that okay?"

He looked at her with his brows raised. She was asking him if he was okay with her showing him a piece of her? He would be stupid to say no.

"Of course that's okay, but I've heard you play before."

She nodded. "But that was for a class. Now it's just me and you."

He liked the sound of that.

"Okay."

She took another deep breath and turned back to the piano. He could tell that she was a little nervous to play for him. He knew that he was nervous the first time he played for her.

"You don't have to do this." He assured her.

She shook her head. "I want to."

He nodded, sat back, and watched her closely. She pressed a few keys to test the tune then started playing. He didn't dare make a sound as she began to sing.

" _Well I've heard there was a secret chord_

 _That David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?  
Well it goes like this:  
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah_"

Her soft voice sounded so angelic with the song. He could tell that it wasn't just a song for her; she was putting emotion into it. He watched as she continued to play, her fingers moving skillfully across the keys.

" _Well your faith was strong but you needed proof_

 _You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya  
She tied you to her kitchen chair  
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_"

The fact that she was showing this to him was amazing. Music had always been a way for him to deal with his emotions. Thats why he never played for anyone; except her. Something about her just made him comfortable with showing it to her.

" _But baby I've been here before_

 _I've seen this room and I've walked this floor_

 _You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya  
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
And love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah"_

He didn't know what it was that made him so crazy about her. She was on his mind when he was awake and when he closed his eyes at night. He couldn't help it.

" _Maybe there's a God above_

 _But all I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya  
_

 _And it's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_"

She had her eyes closed as she sang and he could feel what she was feeling through her voice. He just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was just so. . .beautiful. He'd always thought that, but seeing her this way just made her seem even more so.

She finished the song and kept her eyes closed. They both sat in silence until he spoke.

"Wow. That was amazing."

She looked up at him and he could see the emotion in her eyes.

"You think so?"

He nodded. "Of course. You're pretty talented."

Her eyebrows rose. "Um, thanks. You're pretty talented too."

He nodded. "I know."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Really? You choose right now to be an ass? I thought we were having a moment."

He put his hands up in surrender. "I'm always an ass when the time calls."

She laughed then turned back to the piano. "You know, even when I feel like crap, you can always make me smile or laugh."

The realization that he can help her like she helps him made him feel a little better about himself.

"Uhh...Glad I could help." He smiled at her.

She looked at him and furrowed her brows. "So why do you take music if you don't play the guitar in that class?"

"Vocals I guess." He shrugged.

She shook her head. "Yeah you're good at that, but you should try playing sometime."

"Maybe someday." He told her.

She looked down and fumbled with her fingers, something that she only did when she was nervous. He wondered what she was nervous about.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She bit her lip. "You're friends with Jack right?"

His jaw clenched at the mention of Jack, but he stayed calm.

"Uhh...yeah. Why?"

She looked up at him. "I don't know. He asked me out on Friday and I have no idea why..."

Kyle could think of plenty of reasons.

"...and we've only talked a couple of times. We barely even know each other. I guess I'm just confused."

He nodded. "Yeah he told me about that. There's really no telling with Jack."

She furrowed her brows. "I guess I'll get to know him on the date?" She made it sound more like a question.

"I guess we'll find out." He said.

She nodded. "I guess we will. I'm going to need Alex's help."

He really didn't want to talk about her date with Jack anymore. It was making him feel like he had even less time. He cleared his throat.

"I should head back before my parents see that I'm gone."

She nodded. "Right."

Kyle followed her back up the stairs and back into her room. Before he left out of the window he turned to her. He was about to say something when she hugged him out of nowhere. His breath caught in his throat as her arms wrapped around him.

"Thanks for being there for me...again." She whispered.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and put his arms around her.

"You're welcome. It's kinda nice not being a complete ass to someone."

He felt her laugh. "You're not a complete ass. You just pretend to be." She murmured.

She was right. That was his defense mechanism; act like an ass to everyone so they didn't see that he had problems. So they didn't see that he was somewhat messed up.

He smiled. "And you see right through that don't you?"

She nodded and pulled away. "Yup."

Kyle put his hands in his pockets in fear of pulling her back to him. His self control around her was lessening by the minute.

He smirked. "Damn, I try so hard to be the best ass I can."

She smiled and shook her head. "Well you're not fooling me, Goldie."

The use of his nickname made him smile.

"I know." He said.

"Well I guess I'll see you later."

He nodded even though he wanted nothing more than to stay with her. It was probably wrong of him to think that way when he had a girlfriend, but he couldn't even count the number of times he'd caught Ash flirting with other guys. It was to the point where he didn't even care anymore. At least he kept his feelings to himself and besides their relationship wasn't built on anything. It was nothing but an arrangement. One that he was really getting sick of.

Kyle watched as her eyes got that spark in them. The same branch grew until it was in her room. He would never get used to that.

"Later, Maya." he smiled before he climbed onto the branch.

She watched as he made his way back to his window. "Later, Goldie."

He waved after he got into his room. She waved and returned the branch back to its original position.

He shut his window and breathed a sigh of relief.

 _His situation at the moment was beyond fucked up._

.o.O.o.

Maya shut her window and collapsed onto her bed. She was really confused and she didn't know what to do about it. It was like her mind was telling her one thing and her heart was telling her another.

Her mind was telling her that she should go out with Jack because that could be the last time someone asked her out. Her heart was telling her that she shouldn't go out with Jack because they knew nothing about each other.

It also meant that she would have to eventually open up to him and she wasn't sure if she wanted to do that. She'd only spoken to him on a few occasions, but their conversations were never personal. It was still a mystery to her as to why he asked her out. Maybe she'll find out why tomorrow.

Kyle seemed to be okay with it and that was his friend. A part of her liked the connection that her and Kyle had. It was a different kind of connection that she didn't have with other people. They could bounce their issues off of each other. He'd helped her more than he might think since she'd moved there.

She wished that she could help him in some way too. It might not look like it to others, but she sees him. She sees right through the façade that he puts up. He's really good at hiding his emotions which means he's been doing it for a while.

She doesn't really understand what she feels for Kyle. They're friends, that's for sure, but sometimes she can't help but feel more. She knows that he has Ash. Even though he refers to her as being annoying most of the time, which she is, but maybe he sees something in her that everyone else doesn't.

She can't help but notice that he doesn't look at her with affection or love. Maybe couples don't really look at each other like that. She's only seen that kind of stuff in movies anyway. So what would she know about relationships?

She was also somewhat jealous of Ash. Not of her attitude, but how she looked. Ash was pretty and had an amazing guy that she didn't deserve.

It wasn't like she deserved Kyle either. She wasn't exactly pretty or girly. If girls that looked like Ash were his type then she definitely wasn't his type.

Maybe Jack was just throwing her a bone or something. It was kind of hard to believe that after talking a few times that he would just up and ask her out. They had no chemistry, her breath didn't hitch when he got close to her, he didn't make her nervous, her skin didn't prickle when he touched her.

Her eyes widened when she realized that this is how she acted around Kyle. He made her nervous, made her breath catch when he was close, and made her skin prickle with warmth every time he touched her. He made her act like such a girl.

 _Did she like Kyle?_

He was easy to talk to and knew one of her biggest secrets. Of course she hasn't told him everything about her past, but he knew more than most people. She'd told him things that even Jocelyn didn't know.

They've known each other for a couple of months and they've went from hating each other to being friends. They had a good thing going and she didn't want to ruin it.

She wasn't even sure if she had feelings for him, but she knew that she felt something. It's not like it would matter anyway, he had Ash and obviously didn't feel that way about her. Maybe Jack would make her feel that way over time or maybe she just wasn't cut out for relationships.

She'd been independent for as long as she could remember. She can take care of herself, but sometimes she has moments where she needs other people to be there for her. It will get better with time. At least, that's what she tells herself.

She just needed to forget about her feelings for Kyle. It was never going to happen and she had someone that seemed to be kind of interested in her.

It was hard to change the way you feel about someone, but she would have to try. Jack wouldn't wait forever.


	20. The Date

AN: This chapter is a long one. My bad if you're one of those who likes short chapters

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Afterlife by XYLO_

 _**Human by Aquilo_

 _**Nothing Left to Say by Imagine Dragons_

 _**Just Another Dude by Kat Dahlia_

* * *

"Stay still. You're going to get mascara in your eye."

Maya pouted and stayed still. Alex had come over about an hour ago to help her get ready for her date. As soon as Maya let her in, Alex pulled her to her room and began working on her hair and face. Maya sat in silence as Alex did her work. It was nothing too extreme she guessed.

"What's the point of this stuff anyway?" Maya asked.

Alex smiled. "It's to make your eyelashes look longer and fuller." She applied more mascara to her other eye. Maya still didn't see the point, but she didn't say anything.

"Okay...done." Maya looked into the mirror. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail with a couple curls framing her face, and her eyes looked bigger.

"It looks nice." She said.

Alex smiled. "Great, because I know how you don't like too much makeup so the natural look was better for you."

She stood up and stretched. Alex had her in that chair for almost an hour. She didn't understand why the girls had to make themselves look good when all the guy did was possibly take a shower and get dressed.

Speaking of getting dressed, she currently was not. Alex made her put on a robe after her shower in fear of messing up the clothes.

"Okay. You can go get dressed now."

Maya sighed. "Thank God." She was really going to die right there if Alex had something else to do makeup wise.

Alex smiled. "Ha. Ha."

Maya got up and took her clothes into her closet. She got dressed into her light blue ripped jeans and a black shirt. Alex said that she had shoes to go with it. Maya was just glad that Alex didn't try and make her wear a dress. That was not going to happen.

When she was done getting dressed, she saw that Alex was sitting on her desk chair. Maya walked over to her.

"You said you had some shoes right?"

She was fine with just wearing her combat boots, but Alex had other ideas.

Alex smiled like she knew something Maya didn't and she didn't like or trust that look at all. Alex grabbed a bag next to Maya's door. Maya eyed the bag suspiciously, somewhat afraid of what could be in there.

Alex walked back over to her and her smile grew as she got closer.

"Alex..." She warned.

"Okay I know you said you don't like heels but..." She pulled a pair of long black boots out of the bag.

Maya's eyes widened and she darted past Alex to the other side of the room. She held out her hands when Alex held the shoes out.

"Alex, I am not wearing those death traps!"

Alex pouted. "But they're not even that tall. I promise."

She started walking towards her with the shoes. Maya moved to the other side of the bed.

"No. No. No. No. No." She repeated and shook her head.

Alex gave her puppy dog eyes. "Please, just try them on."

Maya sighed as her resolve died with Alex's look. "Fine, but if I break my neck, you're buying me a new leather jacket."

Alex clapped her hands together. "Yay, but that's so not a punishment. I love shopping."

She laughed as Alex made her sit down on the bed. Alex handed her a shoe and she slipped it on. The shoe went all the way up to her mid-thigh. When she zipped it up, her eyebrows rose. The shoe looked nice, but she still wasn't sure if she would be able to walk in them.

After she zipped up the next shoe, she attempted to stand. She braced herself, but found that they weren't that hard to stand in.

"Hey, it's not that bad." She walked around a bit.

Alex smiled. "I told you. Omg you look so badass in them."

Maya laughed. "Thanks Alex. Now I just have to try my best to not break my neck."

Maya walked over to her mirror and looked at her entire outfit. She definitely looked...different. Whether it was a good different wasn't really up to her. She only agreed to dress like that because she was going out with Jack. This was as much as she was going to give him. She was definitely not going to wear a dress. He should be satisfied with just getting her into these shoes.

"You look great and I bet Jack will think so too." Alex said.

Maya smiled. "Hopefully."

Alex looked down at her phone. "Oh shoot. It's 4:30 already. What time is he coming again?"

"Uhh...I think 5" she thought that's what time he said.

Alex nodded. "Well I should get going then." She waggled her brows.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Bye Alex."

Alex laughed. "Fine. Have fun with Mr. Hottie."

"Thanks Alex, but please stop."

"Fine. Good luck." Alex hugged her before she left. With her in heels, they were almost the same height. Alex was still taller than her, but then again, so was everyone else.

Maya waved as Alex left her room. She shut the door behind her and sat on her bed.

 _This date could end many different ways._

.o.O.o.

He was screwed; so screwed. Today has got to be one of the most stressful days of his life. It was hard enough for him to go to sleep the night before. He'd just been so lost in his own thoughts. He was such an idiot.

 _Why didn't he listen to Jon?_

He wouldn't be in this situation if he would have just told her how he felt; told her how much he cared about her. She just has no idea and it was all his fault. Even if she were to reject him, he would be satisfied with her knowing.

He just had so many things in the way; Jack, Ash, himself. Relationships weren't his thing.

Yeah he's been with Ash for a while, but he can't even count the number of times they've broken up. Anything before Ash never lasted more than a month and that was because they all only wanted one thing from him; bragging rights. He was just something that they all use for show.

He used to always think that these girls were in love with him, but it wasn't love they felt, it was just infatuation. Ash didn't love him, he knew that for sure now.

If she did, she wouldn't treat him like some toy or a prize that she won. She wouldn't flirt with other guys and only talk about herself, never listening to him. It was like she was smothering him and couldn't breathe. He wanted to breathe so badly.

It was only when he was around Maya that he felt this way. He felt free and not so much alone. To everyone else he's just the jock with an attitude problem, but she sees through that. He'd never met someone that could really do that.

She was so amazing and she didn't even think so. Sometimes he just wanted to sit her down and tell her all of the things that make her so amazing. He wanted her to be able to see herself through his eyes. It was almost as if Jack doesn't deserve her.

No, he knew Jack didn't deserve her. He couldn't even get past her looks enough to see how great a person she was. If he liked her now there was no telling how much more he would like her if he really got to know her. That's what Kyle was afraid of, that Jack would see how great she is and just take her.

By not telling her how he felt, he probably just handed her to him. The one person that could make him actually feel something. He shouldn't have denied his feelings in the beginning. He made so many excuses that ended up screwing him over in the end.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands.

"Come in." He looked up to see who it was.

When he looked up, he saw his grandmother, Imogen, standing in his doorway. He had almost forgotten that she had come over earlier that day. She may have been the only one in his family that paid attention to him.

Imogen wasn't a typical grandmother. She was old, but wise, and she was good at reading people. He could never lie to her.

Imogen walked over to sit next to him on his bed. He knew that she could tell something was wrong. It would be stupid of him to try and hide it from her.

"Hey Imogen."

She'd told him many times not to call her grandma because it made her feel old, which she was.

"What's got you so down?" She asked.

He really didn't want to talk about it so he kept it vague.

"Just a lot of things." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Oh I get it now. So... What's her name?"

He looked over to her and his eyebrows rose. "What do you mean?"

How could she possibly know, unless someone told her...

"You know what I mean. I know that look, but I have to say, I've never seen it on you before. So, I'll ask again, what's her name?"

Kyle shook his head and sighed. "Maya." He got up and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sit down." She pointed to the chair next to him. He sat and looked over at her.

"So is this the same Maya that Max was talking about?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Max seems to like her a lot."

Imogen looked relieved. "Good. I was afraid you were going to say that Ashley girl."

He shook his head. "No. She's nothing like Ash."

Imogen looked at him. "So tell me about this young lady."

He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face at the thought of her.

"She's definitely different, but that's what I like about her. She's short, has wild curly brown hair, and she has these beautiful gray eyes that you never get tired of looking at. She has this fire about her too. You can listen to her voice all day. She can sing, play the piano, dance, draw, and do so many other things. It's like you learn something different about her everyday. She really gets me too, she sees right through my bullshit and I care about her, I really do. She's had a bad past and sometimes I can just see how broken she is. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is and God I wish I could tell her. When I'm around her, she just makes me feel like I'm someone and I want her to feel that way too."

Kyle knew that he just put everything out there, but somehow it didn't feel like enough. He felt that what he just said was only the half of it. There weren't enough words to describe how he felt.

Imogen just stared at him for a moment. He's never talked about a girl like that. She was probably trying to process it all.

"So what's stopping you from telling this girl what you just told me?"

He sighed. "I have a girlfriend that pretends to care about me. Jack, my best friend, already asked her out. Also, sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough for her."

She scoffed. "Come sit."

He reluctantly got up and sat next to her.

She looked at him. "Do you care about Ashley like you care about her?"

He shook his head. "Not even close."

"Does Jack care about her as much as you do?"

He shook his head again. "No."

She nodded. "Exactly. So nothing should be stopping you from going after her. This might be the girl that makes your life worth living. My mother used to say: 'Someday, someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else'. And I know about your past with girls, they could never tie you down."

When he said his grandmother was wise, he meant it. She knew what she was talking about and he agreed with everything she said. Nothing should be stopping him. He's already waited way too long.

"So you think I should tell her?"

Imogen rolled her eyes. "Yes. Was I not obvious?"

He smiled at her. "Okay."

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "Jack is taking her out later."

Her eyes widened. "Then why in Gods name are you still standing here? Go."

He looked around and grabbed his phone and cap. "What time is it?"

She looked at her watch. "A little after 4:30"

He slid on his cap. "Okay. I still have time." He turned to leave out of the door.

"Oh, and Kyle?"

He turned back to his grandmother and raised his brows.

"Perk the hell up. You look like a slouch." She said.

He smiled. "Thanks Imogen."

She nodded just as he turned to leave his room. On his way downstairs, he saw Alex. He walked up to her.

"Where were you?"

She looked at him. "Helping Maya get ready for her date. Why?"

So Maya was still there. That was good.

"No reason." He moved past her towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

He stopped walking and turned to her. "Just...out." He didn't wait for her answer and just closed the door behind him.

On the way to Maya's house, he let out a long breath. A part of him was nervous, the other part was determined. When he got to the front door, he knocked.

The door opened then he saw Jon. He opened the door fully and let him in.

"What brings you here?" Jon smiled.

Kyle glanced upstairs. "Where's Maya?"

"In her room." Jon cocked a thumb over his shoulder.

Kyle moved past him and started up the stairs.

"Kyle?"

 _Why did people keep stopping him?_

He turned to Jon. "What?" He barely had enough time as it was.

"Good luck. I'll be down here blasting music into my ears because this could go south." Jon gave him a thumbs up before leaving.

Kyle turned his cap backwards and continued up the stairs, trying not to think about how it could go south.

 _Shit. Why was he doing this?_

When he got to her door, he took a breath and opened it. Once inside, he shut the door behind him. His heart was beating hard against his chest.

She was standing over by her bed and his eyes widened at what she was wearing.

 _Jack was going to see her dressed like that?_

She had on a black shirt and light blue ripped jeans, but that wasn't what made his eyes widen. He looked down to see her black thigh high boots.

She turned around and furrowed her brows. "Kyle? What are you doing here?"

He forced himself to look her in the eyes. "You can't go out with Jack."

She walked closer to him. "What?"

He rubbed the top of his cap and met her halfway. "You're not going out with him." He didn't mean for it to come out like that, but that's just how it did.

She narrowed her eyes at him. That was not a good sign. "Are you telling me what to do, because I really hate when people do that."

He sighed. "I really don't know what the hell I'm doing."

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Well would you mind explaining why you just barged into my room and started telling me what I will or won't do?"

He really wasn't doing so well.

"I'm asking you to just hear me out."

She shook her head. "What is it?"

This was really harder than he thought it would be. She wasn't going to make it easy for him. Why should anything be easy at this point?

"Jack isn't the right person for you."

Why couldn't he just spit it out?

She looked like she was getting angrier. "And you're such an expert on who's the right person for me now?"

"I'm just saying that I know Jack and he's not good for you." He said.

She got closer to him and he could see that she was a little taller now with the boots. "I think I would be the judge of that. Why do you even care?"

"Because we're friends." God he was fucking up.

"That doesn't even make sense. If you were my friend, or Jack's friend, you would be happy for me."

He wasn't happy that she was going out with some other guy, whether it was his friend or not. Now why couldn't he just tell her that? She moved to walk past him. He grabbed her arm and she turned around.

"Could you just listen to me?" He was seriously getting frustrated, mostly with himself.

"Why should I listen to you?" She narrowed her eyes again.

"I don't want to see you get hurt. Jack would probably end up doing that." He said.

She shook her head and turned back around.

"He doesn't know about your powers." He blurted out.

She was blazing when she turned around. "And what? You're gonna tell him? You made a promise that you wouldn't and if you break it I swear to God..." She trailed off.

This conversation was going south just like Jon said. Now he was just digging a deeper hole. If he would have just done this earlier, he wouldn't be in this mess.

He walked up to her. "I'm not going to tell him. I was just trying to say that he doesn't know you enough to really care about you."

Jack didn't deserve her in the least. Kyle couldn't just sit back and watch as Jack used her like that. She wasn't the kind of girl that you could just throw away.

She was now by the door, facing him. "God. Why do you have to do this? Why can't I go out with the one guy that seems to have somewhat of an interest in me?"

He wanted to tell her that Jack wasn't the only one and that his feelings weren't somewhat. His feelings for her were beyond that. He was just so frustrated with himself.

She continued to talk. "I really thought that you were my friend. So why are you trying to ruin something that could be good for me!"

He balled up his fists and put them by his face. "You just don't get it, okay!"

All of this was just fucking with his head. Why couldn't she just understand? Could she really not feel it? She got closer until she stood right in front of him. When he looked down at her, he could still see that her eyes were blazing. She was obviously getting angry.

"Then make me get it!" She said, exasperated.

Kyle let out a frustrated growl then cupped her small face in his hands. He leaned in, and when she didn't stop him, he crashed his lips to hers.

.o.O.o.

Maya gasped when their lips touched. Any argument that she had died in her throat. He held her face with his rough, but also soft hands. After she got over the shock of him kissing her, she kissed him back. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She'd never been kissed by anyone, ever.

He pulled away slightly for a breath before he brought his lips back to hers. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He held her face with such delicacy, it shocked her. Their lips seemed to move together perfectly, even though it was her first kiss. She still didn't know why he was kissing her, but she just ignored her own thoughts. It felt like jolts of electricity were flowing through her.

He backed them up until her back was against her door. His hands moved down to her hips and she could feel warmth spreading through her. His touch stayed light, but her mind and body told her that she wanted more. She tightened her grip around his neck.

He swiped his tongue across her bottom lip, asking politely for entrance. She opened to him and he slid his tongue into her mouth. Her entire body tingled. He groaned and bent down to grip the back of her thighs. She gasped as he lifted her onto his hips. The light bulb on the dresser next to her door burst. He didn't remove his lips from hers and she didn't want him to. She never wanted to stop feeling like this.

One of his hands went back up to cup her face and moved his head to the side to get better access to her mouth. She knocked off his hat and buried her hands into his hair as the kiss became more passionate.

He groaned again and kissed her deeper, making her grip his hair. She felt the electricity and warmth spread through her again, then she heard the power cut out. He pressed himself harder against her. She held him tighter. Their bodies fit together perfectly.

She halfway believed that she was dreaming. Things like this never happened to her in real life. If this was a dream, she definitely did not want to be woken up.

After a few moments, Kyle slowed the kiss by placing a few smaller ones to her lips. She accepted each one and slowly removed her hands from his hair. He pulled away only enough to rest his forehead on hers. They were both out of breath and her heart pounded against her chest.

"That's why." He said breathily.

Maya licked her lips, but all she could taste was him. She was still in a daze about what just happened. He'd left her speechless.

After he caught his breath, he pulled away enough to look into her eyes. The intensity in his stare was overwhelming. She looked into both of his eyes, searching as he swiped his thumb across her cheek.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered.

She let out a barely audible gasp. "You...You think I'm beautiful?"

He nodded. "I do."

She could still feel her lips tingling. "No ones ever called me beautiful before."

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "They must have been blind because you are a beautiful girl, but you're so much more than that.

Her eyes widened at his words. "What are you saying?"

He leaned his forehead back on hers. "I'm saying that I really care about you and I think that you're an amazing person."

No one had ever spoken to her that way so she was just kind of frozen in her spot. She realized that she still had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, but she didn't dare move.

He smiled slightly. "You didn't tell me that you could control electricity."

She shook her head. "I didn't know that I could. It's never happened before." She guessed it was because she'd never felt anything like that before. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip like he wanted to rub the taste of him in.

They sat there in silence just looking at each other. Up until now, her mind was blank. Slowly her thoughts came back and the realization of what just happened really hit her.

 _Kyle just kissed her and she kissed him back._

She gasped. "Oh my God."

He furrowed his brows.

She sighed. "Kyle, what are we doing? You have a girlfriend and I'm supposed to be going out with Jack."

He looked down and let out a breath. "I know, but I just wanted to forget about that for a moment."

"Why?" She didn't understand why he would want to forget about his girlfriend.

He looked between her eyes. "Do you really not know?" He whispered. "Can you really not feel it?"

She knew that he was talking about their feelings for each other. It was clear to her that he cared for her and if she were being honest, she cared about him too. She didn't get why he would want her when he had someone that fit his expectations.

She unwrapped herself from him and sighed. "If Ash is the kind if girl that you're interested in, then I'm not what you're looking for. I'm not like her and I probably never will be."

He shook his head. "I know you're not like her."

She looked down. "Look, you can still be with Ash. I won't tell her what happened and we can just forget about it." She knew that she would probably never be able to forget what his lips felt like on hers.

He ran a hand through his hair. "That's the thing. I don't want to forget about it."

"So you want to cheat on Ash that's it? I'm not going to help you do that and I've heard you two tell each other 'always'." The word had a bitter taste to it.

He shook his head. "I never felt always. She makes me feel like I'm some toy that she shows off to her friends and I hate feeling like that. I want someone who actually cares about me."

She cared about him, but she knew that she wasn't right for him. He deserved someone better than her.

"Then why stay with her?" She needed to at least know that.

He sighed. "Because everyone expected me to. The jock and the cheerleader. Its just a stupid high school cliché and I'm sick of it. I'm not happy with her."

She looked up at him. "And what makes you think that you'll be happy with me? I'm not exactly girlfriend material."

He cupped her face in his hands. "You already make me happy. I feel like I can be myself around you. Like you said, you see right through me."

She sighed. "I can't do this Kyle. You're a really good friend and I don't want to mess that up."

There was a knock on the front door. "That's probably Jack. I'm sorry, I have to go."

His hands fell from her face and she instantly felt the loss of warmth. He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded. "Yeah."

She didn't look into his eyes in fear of changing her mind. It would be wrong to just not go out with Jack after she said yes. Even if they didn't have a connection like her and Kyle did. Maybe something would happen on the date. She just knew that she wasn't good enough for Kyle. He deserved someone that wasn't as broken as her.

She turned around and opened her door. Her heart was still beating rapidly against her rib cage.

"I'll still be there for you, if you ever need me." He said.

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to him. "And I'll be there for you." He smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay."

She bit her lip then turned back around. When she got into the hallway, she saw that the power was still knocked out. She had no idea how to turn it back on with her powers. Jon would probably have to do it manually.

She took a deep breath when she got to the front door. Her lips still tingled. _How long would they be like that?_

When she opened the door, she saw Jack standing on the porch grinning. He gave her a once over which was not quick at all. His stare made her slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything.

"You look nice." He said.

She tried her best to smile. "Thanks."

He was only wearing a blue shirt and jeans. She closed the door behind her and stepped out onto the porch.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded then followed him to his car. He slipped into the drivers seat and unlocked her door from the inside.

 _What a gentleman._

She just shook her head and got into the passengers seat. He never did tell her where they were going. Surprises weren't really her thing. She liked to know what was going on, but apparently this was the kind of thing that happened on dates.

He started the car as she put on her seatbelt. She checked to make sure that she had her phone before he took off.

Maya tried to keep her head clear as they drove, but her mind kept drifting to Kyle. How he held her face like she was made of glass, how he kissed her until she couldn't breathe, and how he looked at her. No one had ever looked at her like that.

But she couldn't think about that. Kyle was her friend.

"So you can dance and play soccer, I like that."

She looked over at him. "Thank you."

He smirked. "Maybe I can find out what else you can do later."

She didn't know what he was implying, but assumed it was to get to know her better.

"Maybe." She turned back to looking out of the window.

This date was not starting off well and they haven't even gotten to their destination yet. He just seemed...different than what he was like at school.

At school he was funny and goofy, but now he was just cocky. She really didn't like cocky.

After a while, Jack stopped driving. She looked up to see where he decided to take her. It was a large building and when she read the bold letters, she tried really hard not to roll her eyes.

 _The movies? How cliche could he be?_

She hoped that the movie he chose was at least a good one. It would suck to be stuck in a theater watching some stupid movie.

He got out of the car, and when he saw that she wasn't getting out, he walked over and opened her door. She got out on her own and walked with him towards the theater.

"What are we seeing?" She asked.

He looked over at her. "It's a surprise."

She just kept her mouth shut and kept walking. This was not going to work out unless she loosened up.

They walked into the theater and he at least held the door open for her. She followed him up to the ticket line. There wasn't much of a line, probably because it was Sunday.

"Two tickets to _San Andreas."_ He told the woman behind the counter.

Maya noticed that he was definitely a lot more cocky than before. He handed the lady the money and she handed him the tickets.

"Enjoy the show." The woman said. Jack ignored her so Maya turned to her. "Thank you." She smiled at her.

Jack shook his head. "You say thank you a lot."

She shrugged. "It's just one of my customs to be polite."

He smiled. "Says the girl that threatened to rip Ash's ass out through her mouth."

Maya rolled her eyes. Did he really think talking about that right now was a good idea?

"I was having a bad day." That part was true.

He laughed. "No kidding."

 _Was he always this rude?_

Jack got some popcorn and she just grabbed a water bottle. He handed their tickets to the ticket holder. When they got into the theater, they took their seats.

This was the kind of date that insured that they wouldn't get to know each other. It's almost as if he didn't want to talk. Or maybe this was all his teenage mind could come up with.

They both waited in silence until the movie started. None of this was helping her to see who the real Jack was. So far all she got was that school Jack and this Jack were completely different. Maybe it was some gimmick to make her like his. It was not working.

The movie started and she took a sip of her water.

 _How long was this movie again?_

.o.O.o.

If any guy from that school ever asks her out again, the answer will definitely be "no". Even though there was a slim possibility that someone else would ask her out. Maybe she's not cut out for dates.

The movie was okay, not one of the better movies she's seen, but okay. It felt like she was in a movie most of the time with Jack's cliche American moves. He even did the thing where the guy yawns, stretches, then puts his arm over the girl's shoulder. She didn't even bother to tell him to move it.

Although she noticed that she didn't get a tingle of warmth when he touched her and she didn't feel nervous around him at all. She didn't know if these were good signs or bad signs. It was obvious that they had no chemistry. Maybe it was because they were both quiet for the entire date. She learned absolutely nothing about him and the boots that she was wearing were starting to feel uncomfortable.

They exited the theater and he put his arm back around her shoulder.

"Lets go this way. I have to show you something."

She furrowed her brows, but reluctantly agreed to follow him. They walked to the back of the theater. The sun was just starting to set.

He stopped once they got outside and she was able to see his car from there. She had her back to the brick wall and faced him.

"So...I had a really good time." He said.

Her eyebrows rose.

 _Did he even go on the same date as her?_

She nodded anyway. "Yeah the movie was good." She lied.

He smiled. "Glad you thought so."

His smile turned into a sly smirk as he got closer to her. "Have I told you how good you looked in those boots?"

She shook her head. His hand reached down to the top of one of her boots. He took another step closer as he ran is fingertips across the brim of the boot. She discreetly took a small step back.

He followed her and put his hands on either side of her head. Her eyes widened as he bit his lip and started to lean in. She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him. His eyes opened and all she could see on his face was confusion.

"Are you serious?" She asked. They've spent almost two hours not talking and he thinks she's ready for that.

He raised a brow. "Yes I'm serious. Usually people kiss after the first date. Some even kiss without a date."

She took another step back. "You called this a date. We didn't talk at all. I don't even know you."

He shook his head. "Don't be like that. It's not like I'm some stranger and I paid for this whole night. Did you seriously think I wasn't expecting some action afterwards. So come on, girl."

He leaned in again and she pushed him away.

She scoffed. "So you only took my out because you were expecting some 'action' later on? What kind of girl do you think I am?"

He smirked. "You're telling me that you didn't dress like this to get my attention?"

She shook her head. "You're really starting to get on my nerves."

He got closer until her back was against the wall. "I promise you'll never have to talk to me after this." He grabbed her hips and started trailing kisses down her neck.

She pushed him away again and looked at him with wide eyes. "No! I'm not going to sit here and make out with you. God, you're no better than Josh."

He furrowed his brows. "It's not like I drugged you and I took you out on a date first. I deserve something in return."

She shook her head just as he held her again. "So where should we go? My place?" He whispered into her ear.

She shivered in disgust. "No, just take me home."

He smirked. "What can you do for me if I do?"

She was stilled pinned between the wall and him. "Nothing, just take me home and I won't tell anyone."

He shook his head. "No can do sweetheart."

She was so tired of the boys in this city. They were so childish and probably had the disposition of a horny rabbit. Everything was always sexual for them and the niceness was just because they expected something later.

"Well I'm not doing anything with you whether you like it or not." She gave one last hard shove and started walking away from him.

He grabbed her arm. "Looks like you'll be walking home then." She yanked herself out of his grasp.

"I would walk the plank if it meant that I didn't have to spend another second with you." She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

He scoffed. "Fine. Your loss."

She continued walking until she heard him start his car. He sped out of the parking lot leaving her there, alone.

 _Would her life ever get better?_

Sometimes she just felt so done with everything. It seemed like guys only wanted one thing and when you don't give it to them, you're the bad person. Everything was just so confusing.

After a minute she stopped walking. "These damn boots." She took them off and sat against the wall. The sun almost set completely. Jack practically left her in the dark.

She took out her phone and called Jon. He wouldn't be happy, but he would come and get her.

She let out the breath she holding when he answered.

" _Hello?_ "

She sighed. "Jon, I need your help."

" _Tenshi? What's wrong?_ "

"I need you to come pick me up."

" _Where's Jack?_ "

She really didn't want to talk about it, but she couldn't lie to Jon.

"He's an asshole Jon. He left me here."

" _He left you by yourself in the dark. Where are you?_ " She could hear the anger in his voice.

"The movie theaters, back entrance."

" _Okay. Stay where you are. I'm on my way._ "

She could hear his car door shut.

"Thanks Jon."

She hung up the phone and waited for him to get there.

.o.O.o.

Maya looked up when she saw Jon's car. The car came to a stop and Jon hopped out of the drivers seat. She stood up and began walking over to him.

His fists were balled up and his jaw was clenched. She walked up to him and stopped him from walking.

"Where the hell is he?" He growled out.

She shook her head. "He's gone. Can we just go home?"

He opened the door for her then went to the drivers side. She tossed the boots into the back seat and put on her seatbelt.

Jon started driving and she could see how tense he was.

"Jon..."

"What did he do to you?" He was gripping the steering wheel.

She sighed. "He only took me out because he wanted some 'action' afterwards. When I told him no, he kept trying to force himself on me. He said he wouldn't take me home unless I did something for him. I didn't, so he just left me there."

She didn't look at Jon because she was somewhat embarrassed. He stopped the car and pulled off to the side.

He ran a hand down his face. "I'm gonna kill him."

Maya shook her head. "No you're not."

He nodded. "No, that'll be too easy, but I am going to show him what happens when you mess with my sister."

She couldn't help but smile. "I can handle it Jon. It's fine. You don't need to get suspended."

He sighed. "I'll make no promises."

"Okay."

Jon started the car again and drove them back home. Tomorrow would definitely be interesting.


	21. The Aftermath

AN: School started today :( but I'll still try and keep up with the daily updates for as long as I can

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Chapter Songs:

 _**The Weight by Shawn Mendes_

 _**Something Big by Shawn Mendes_

 _**Harps by Max and the Moon_

* * *

Monday morning, Kyle sat at the kitchen table eating cereal. Maryse and Robert had taken Imogen home the day before. They also had to go back to work that week so Max was gone too. After Maya left for her date on Sunday, he just went back home. He really didn't want to talk to Jon about what happened. All he could think about was their kiss. He'd kissed a lot of girls, but no kiss had ever felt like that. It felt like he was on fire everywhere they touched. Her lips were soft and the taste of them was like heaven; he just couldn't control himself. He just couldn't take her not knowing anymore. She obviously felt something or she wouldn't have kissed him back. He knew that it wasn't the right time to admit those things to her. She was going out with Jack and he still had to find a way to break up with Ash, but he'd already waited for way too long. He couldn't get her out of his head and everything that they've been through.

She didn't want to ruin their friendship and lose him completely, he knew that. He didn't want to lose her either, but he thought that they would be good for each other. There were certain things that he wanted to do for her that would definitely go beyond the friend zone. They've already done things that definitely didn't go in the friendship category. Of course he wanted to be her friend, but sometimes he just felt like they could be more than that. He wanted her to understand that they could be both and that he wasn't going to just stop caring.

Alex came downstairs and grabbed a pop-tart from the counter and looked over at him.

"You're oddly quiet this morning."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm just not in the mood today."

She walked over to the table. "You've been acting weird lately. What's up?"

How could he tell his sister that he kissed her best friend when he was still with Ash and Maya was going out with Jack?

"Just forget about it." He said.

Alex huffed. "You know, maybe if you opened up more, people wouldn't just assume that you're an ass."

He didn't feel like arguing with her. "Maybe I'm okay with that."

She crossed her arms. "Can we just go? You know I hate being late."

He put his bowl in the sink and grabbed his keys and book bag. When they got outside, Kyle couldn't help but glance over at her house. Him and Alex always beat them to the school so he knew that they were still inside. He wondered if her date with Jack went well. In some ways he hoped that it didn't go too well, but he wanted her to be happy also. He really needed to find a way to break up with Ash. Hopefully she wont make it into a big deal. Their relationship was never going to go anywhere, he realized that now.

The ride to school was short and quiet. He was still trapped in his own thoughts and Alex was probably thinking about shopping or something. It was still a mystery as to why her and Maya were friends. They were like complete opposites, but maybe that's why they're such good friends.

Once he parked, Alex got out and headed towards the school. He let out a breath then began walking towards the front doors and when he got to his locker, he quickly put one of his books inside. He glanced around and saw Jack walking towards him with Chris and Mike.

Kyle sighed and closed his locker. If Jack was going to brag, he would rather not listen.

"Hey dude."

Kyle gave them a quick nod of his head and started walking to class. Sadly, they started walking with him.

"So how was Fray's sister?" Mike asked.

Kyle rolled his eyes. Sometimes his friends were assholes, but he had to admit that he was one too.

"Dude. Don't even bring it up. That girl is such a stiff, she didn't want to do _anything_."

"What happened to the Jack charm?" Chris asked.

"Oh I gave that to her, trust me, but she acted like she didn't want it. Just teased me all night and I don't do that shit."

Kyle stopped walking and glared at his best friend. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Jack smirked. "Just taught the _tease_ a little lesson. I don't play around."

Kyle was about to give Jack a piece of his mind when Jack was yanked from in front of him. The guys watched as Jon slammed Jack into the lockers. Jack's eyes grew wide.

"What the hell man?!"

Jon narrowed his eyes at him. "So what? You take my sister out then leave her out in the dark, alone, after you fucking assault her. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

Kyle looked around to see if Maya was around. He really needed to talk to her and see if she was okay because there was no telling what Jack did to her. He should have tried harder to stop her from going.

Jack didn't say anything so Jon tightened his grip on his collar.

"How many goddamn cowards do I have to beat the shit out of for them to leave my sister alone?"

A crowd started to form around them. If Jon was going to do something, he wasn't going to stop him this time.

Where the hell was–

"Jonathan!"

Kyle turned to see Maya pushing through the crowd of people. Once she got through, she walked up to Jon. He was still giving a murderous glare to Jack. Kyle looked at her and it didn't look like she was hurt or anything, but he would still have to ask when he got the chance.

"Jon..." She sounded annoyed.

Jon slowly let go of Jack's collar. "I swear to God, if you ever touch my sister again, I won't think twice before I kill you."

Kyle could see the slight fear in Jack's eyes. Maya grabbed Jon's arm. "Let's just go." His fists were still clenched, but he nodded.

Jack fixed his collar, trying to redeem himself. Everyone continued to stare and Kyle was about to walk away when Jack spoke again.

"Well maybe your sister should loosen up a bit and stop being such a bitch." There were a few "oohs" in the crowd.

Maya stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. She shook her head at Jon, who looked like he wanted to kill Jack at the moment. Kyle balled up his fists to refrain from doing something that could get him into a lot of trouble. Jack was really testing his self control.

She walked up to Jack. "So _I'm_ the bitch because I didn't allow you to force yourself on me?"

Kyle was disgusted. "You did what?" He stood next to Maya, ready to give Jack what he deserved.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you didn't want–"

One minute he was standing then another he was on the floor gripping his nose. Maya gripped her hand and let out a small wince. Kyle's eyebrows shot up as others gasped.

"No. I didn't want it asshole." She said. The crowd started to get louder.

A teacher rounded the corner. "What's going on here? Get to class."

The students scattered like nothing happened. Maya scowled at Jack then turned to Kyle, still gripping her hand. He looked down and took her hand in his to look at it. She winced again and he realized she used the same hand that she hurt on Friday.

"Are you okay?" He asked, still holding her hand.

She didn't remove her hand from his, just nodded. "I guess I should've used my other hand."

Jack was still on the floor, holding his nose. Kyle looked down at him then back to Maya.

"I'm sorry about him."

She shook her head. "No need to apologize for him. You didn't do anything."

He realized that he was still holding her hand and let go. She rubbed it again and looked back down at Jack. Kyle saw more teachers come with an administrator. Jon walked over to them.

Maya looked back up at him. "You should go to class before they think you did it. I don't want to get you in trouble."

He smiled and shook his head. "I would gladly take the fall for you." And he wasn't just talking about the punch.

She just stared at him before she spoke. "You don't have to do that for me. Besides, there's no way I'm letting anyone else take credit for knocking that asshole to the ground."

Kyle wasn't surprised that her punch was able to send Jack to the floor. She was tough and definitely packed a punch in that tiny fist of hers. He was glad that she stuck up for herself, because if she didn't, he would've.

"You sure you're okay?" He wanted to make sure.

She nodded. "Yeah. Go ahead."

"Okay." He gave a quick nod to Jon before going around them.

"And Kyle?"

He turned to her and raised his brows. She bit her lip.

"I'll probably get suspended for this, totally worth it though. So I'll probably just see you around."

Kyle nodded. "Keep in touch."

She nodded and he headed to class after giving Jack a look of disgust. He had some serious refining to do.

Kyle knew that there was a good chance that she would be suspended. He couldn't even count the number of times he'd been suspended for fighting. It was only for two or three days, but it still went on your record. That's why he had no problem with taking the fall for her. It's not like his record could get any worse.

The thought of not being able to see her made him somewhat uninterested in the days to come. He liked having her around, even if they didn't really talk all that much during school. It wasn't exactly easy when they were in two different years and hung out with different crowds.

If someone would have told him a couple of months ago that he would have real feelings for a girl like her, he probably would've laughed. He would admit that Maya wasn't exactly the kind of girl that he was usually interested in. His type was normally tall, blonde, dumb, and hot. Maya was definitely not tall, blonde, or dumb, and he didn't think of her as just hot. She wasn't the kind of girl that you just called hot, she was more than that. The word beautiful sometimes didn't feel like enough to him.

 _He really needed to stop thinking like that._

She obviously just wanted to be friends with him even if he could tell that she needed someone. Sometimes he just wanted to be able to hold her or comfort her when she needed it. He could tell that she wasn't okay even when she smiled.

If she could just understand that, it would be great.

.o.O.o.

Three days.

She was suspended for three days for punching a douchebag that deserved a lot worse. Turns out, she broke the idiots nose. It seemed as though the school only cared about the physical altercation and not what led up to it. Jack only got detention because he was the so called "victim".

 _Which was complete bullshit._

Jon also got detention for the threat. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't protest out of respect. She was trying to avoid Jon getting in trouble, now they both were. Jack just had to antagonize her.

Now she had to miss three days of school, including today. Maybe she would be able to beat Patch and Olivia to the studio for a change. She also didn't want to disappoint Jocelyn or become a problem for her. Hopefully she would let her explain what happened today and on Sunday.

After saying bye to Jon, Maya made her way to the parking lot. She hopped onto her bike yet again that morning to go home. At least it wasn't Jon that had to go home. He had a big game on Friday and he needed to practice for it. Another reason why she didn't want Jon or Kyle taking credit for her actions. They were some of the best players on that team so it was important for them to play.

Alex would probably give her an earful about the rumors that were going around. If she knew anything about high school, it was that rumors spread fast. There was no telling how dramatic and overblown the story would become throughout the day. She couldn't really care less about what they were saying. It's not like they knew the entire story.

Maya would probably have to tell Jocelyn the entire story in order for her to understand, not that she really wanted to. There was no way Jack was making her change her class. She was so tired of running away from people who made her somewhat uncomfortable. If he had a problem with her, he could change classes.

She knew now that most guys only wanted one thing; sex. It was disgusting how they would do just about anything to get it.

 _God forbid a guy actually liked a girl for other reasons._

These guys really needed some morals...or a brain.

.o.O.o.

"So, the school called earlier."

Maya knew this was coming. It would be stupid for her and Jon to try and avoid the subject. Jocelyn's voice was calm which Maya was thankful for.

She and Jon both looked at each other before looking at their mother.

"What did they say?" Jon asked.

Jocelyn gave him a look. "I think you already know. Apparently you and Maya 'threatened and physically assaulted' one of the students. So, care to explain?" She didn't sound angry, just curious.

Maya sighed. "Mom it was all me so please don't blame Jon, he was just trying to protect me."

Jon shook his head."Tenshi–"

"No, Jon. It was my fault."

"No. It was Jack's fault for doing what he did."

Jocelyn raised a brow. "The Jack you went out with? What did he do?"

Maya looked down and Jon looked at her. "If you don't tell her, I will."

She sighed. "After our date, Jack tried to . . . persuade me to do things with him."

" _Persuade_?" Jon scoffed, "More like force."

Jocelyn gasped. "He tried to force himself on you?"

Maya closed her eyes. "Yeah, but I stopped him. He ended up leaving me there at the theater. Jon had to pick me up."

Jocelyn looked at them. "And you're just telling me this now?"

Maya sighed. "I didn't want to keep it from you. It's just . . . I was embarrassed. This was the first guy that asked me out and you were so excited . . ." She trailed off.

Jocelyn reached across the table to grab her hand. "You can tell me anything, especially stuff like this. A guy trying to force himself on someone is unacceptable. If you want, we can tell someone–"

Maya cut her off with a quick shake of her head. "No, it's okay. I dealt with him already."

"And I already threatened to kill him if he ever touched her again." Jon added.

Jocelyn shook her head. "Okay. I trust that you guys can handle it on your own. Just make sure there is absolutely no killing involved."

Jon smirked. "No promises."

Maya couldn't help but smile. Jon always had her back. He treated her like she was his sister by blood and sometimes she felt like she was. They all sat in silence until Jocelyn broke it.

"So, where'd you get him?"

Maya smiled. "Right on the nose, just like Jon taught me."

Jocelyn looked satisfied with that.

"Awesome."

They all laughed.

"How long have you been suspended for?" Jocelyn asked.

"For two more days. I can go back on Thursday."

She nodded then looked to Jon. "What about you?"

He shook his head. "I just got detention today."

"Okay then." She shrugged. "Well to me you guys aren't in the wrong. So enjoy your days off sweetie."

Maya definitely was. Especially if Jocelyn wasn't mad at her or Jon. That's all she was really worried about.

"Thanks mom."

Jon gave her a fist bump and he mouthed 'nice'. She smiled before turning back to her dinner.

"So you teenagers usually record these things right?"

The two teenagers looked at their mom. "I guess."

She smiled. "Good. Jon, be a dear and get me a video. I need to see this."

Maya laughed just as Jon yelled.

"Mom!"

She just shrugged, then everyone started laughing.

.o.O.o.

When Kyle got home from practice, he practically passed out. Today had to be the most stressful day of his school year. His day was bad from the beginning and just got worse throughout the day.

 _When he had gotten to art class, Alex ran up to him and asked him like a million questions that he didn't have the answers to. After the class finally got quiet enough for the teacher to talk, Jon walked in, looking pissed. Kyle didn't see Jack or Maya with him. Jon took his seat next to Kyle._

 _"Where's Maya?" He asked._

 _"She got suspended until Thursday."_

 _Kyle knew there was a possibility. "That's fucked up."_

 _Jon nodded just as Stephanie walked over to him. Kyle let the two talk._

Finding out that Maya got suspended wasn't the worst part of his day. He thought that it was really shitty of the school to let Jack off with only detention. It's not like she punched him for no reason.

Anyways, that wasn't the worst part. When it came time for lunch, Ash was already in his face.

 _"So babe, rumor has it that that freak punched your best friend in the face."_

 _Ash walked over to his table with her usual entourage. They really never said anything, just followed Ash around. It's she drained them of their personality. She was doing the exact same thing to him and he was sick of it._

 _"She's not a freak, she's a person, and Jack isn't my best friend anymore."_

 _"Are you...choosing her over your friend, who you've known since freshman year?" She gaped at him._

 _Kyle was really over it. "Yeah I am. Jack was being an asshole."_

 _She rolled her eyes. "I told you that I didn't like her. She messes up everything."_

 _Kyle stood up from his seat and looked at her with annoyance. "I really don't care whether you like her or not. You don't know one thing about her. I'm so tired of you attacking anyone that gets close to me. I should be able to decide who I hang out with. You're just so controlling all the time and I just can't take it anymore."_

 _She looked wide eyed. "What are you saying Kyle?" She put a hand on her hip._

 _He shook his head. "I'm saying that I'm tired of pretending that this relationship is real. We don't love each other and we've broken up so many times that I've lost count. I'm not happy with you, and sometimes I feel like you're suffocating me and I just want to breathe. So let's just do what we should've done a long time ago and end this, permanently."_

 _She scoffed. "You're not breaking up with me! You can't!" She screamed, getting the attention of the school._

 _Kyle rolled his eyes. She was always so dramatic._

 _"Well I am. We're done Ash. Have been for a long time."_

 _He moved around her and started towards the door. She let out a loud frustrated sound._

 _"Well fuck you! You'll never find anyone like me, ever!"_

 _He turned around. "That's the plan."_

 _She screamed again in frustration. "Well, just to let you know, I fucked Jack last month." She looked smug._

 _He wasn't really surprised. "Not surprising." He started walking again, but turned back around. "And just to let you know, those girls you call your 'friends'...yeah, most of them had no problem with giving me a little something when we were broken up." He knew all he ever did was make-out with one or two of them, but he let Ash think what she wanted._

 _She gaped at him them turned to yell at the girls behind her. Most of them had guilty expressions. "You skanks!"_

 _Kyle took that chance to slip out of the cafeteria. It felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders._

He still felt that way. It was unbelievable how long it took for him to do that. He knew that she wouldn't just let him off so easily. She had to go out with a big bang and involve the entire school. Make it into this big dramatic scene. It really wasn't that big of a deal to him. He didn't love her and she practically bragged about fucking his former best friend.

Kyle was just glad that he got it out of the way. He didn't even want to think about it anymore. Today had just been way too much and he still hasn't heard from Maya yet. Coach really worked them at practice so he was definitely sore from that. They had a game against their rival school on Friday so he wanted to make sure they beat them. They weren't able to beat them last year so Coach was extra hard on them.

He hasn't been at the best of his abilities lately. It's like he gets trapped in his own mind and he can't focus. Coach didn't really seem to notice as much, mostly focusing on the slackers of the team. He'll have to stay focused during the game or he'll screw it up for his team.

He guessed that he should probably take a shower and get out of his practice clothes. Maybe he would text Maya later so they could have another window talk.

He was starting to like those.

.o.O.o.

Later that night, Kyle was playing his guitar when he got a text. He hoped to God that it wasn't Ash or Jack because now was not the time. When he picked his phone up and opened the message, he let out a sigh of relief.

 _Window?~M_

Kyleset down his guitar and walked over to the window. He definitely picked the right room when they moved there. When he looked out of his window, he saw that she was already sitting in hers. He followed suit and sat in his. Maya looked up when she saw him sit down.

"Hey."

"Hey." He eyed her carefully.

She sighed. "So do you want the short version or the long version?"

His brows raised. "You're going to tell me everything?"

She nodded slightly. "I guess...unless you don't want me to. I would understand since he's your best friend."

Kyle shook his head. "He's not my best friend anymore."

Her eyes grew wide. "You don't have to stop being friends with him because of me." She shook her head. "I don't want to mess up your friendship."

"You didn't. Jack did. He's just an asshole who knows how to cover it up well."

She nodded. "That's for sure. It was like he was a completely different person."

"So what exactly happened and I want the long version to decide how much of a beating I should give him."

She smiled. "You and Jon are out of control and cannot be trusted."

"We just care about you. That's all."

He heard her breath hitch, but he didn't even think about taking back what he said.

"I know." She whispered.

They were silent for a bit before she cleared her throat.

"Okay. So, he picked me up and he drove us to where we were supposed to be having our date. I could tell that there was something off by the way he was acting. He was being really confident and arrogant, but I just ignored it. That was my first mistake. He ended up taking us to the movies, which was completely cliché. Is that all an American teenage boy can come up with? The movies? Like are we in a tv show? Anyways...when we got there, he just picked out the movie without getting my opinion first. Frankly I think a movie for a first date isn't that smart because you don't get to talk to the person and get to know them. The movie was okay, but he ruined it by doing 'the move' halfway through. As if the date could get any more cliché."

Kyle noticed that nothing too bad happened yet and he didn't know if he wanted to know now. He knew it had to be something bad or today wouldn't have gone the way it did.

"After the date, I was ready to go because we obviously didn't connect in any way. Jack apparently thought differently and had different plans. He took me outside and asked if I had a good time. I lied and said yes, trying not to be rude." She sighed. "That's where it all went downhill. He tried to kiss me and when I stopped him, he got mad. He said that he paid for the date so he should get some 'action'."

Kyle clenched his fists, but stayed quiet and let her finish.

"I stopped him from trying again, but he still tried to convince me that I should do it. He wanted me to go back to his place or something. I told him no, but he grabbed me and kissed me anyway. It was disgusting."

Kyle scoffed. "He kissed you?" He knew he sounded angry.

She shook her head. "Not on the lips, just my neck. You're the only one whose done that." Her eyes widened at her last sentence as if she didn't mean to say it.

His eyebrows shot up. "Only me?"

The thought of him being her first kiss made him a little surprised. It definitely didn't feel like she'd never kissed anyone.

Even in the dark, he could see the slight blush on her cheeks. "No guy has ever wanted to." She shrugged.

He had no idea why. It was unimaginable that no one was ever interested in her. They must have been looking at a completely different girl.

"Not possible."

She just shrugged. "It doesn't really matter."

He could tell that she wanted to change the subject. "So what happened next?"

"I pushed him off of me and told him to stop. I guess he didn't like that so he just left me there and got into his car. After he left, I just called Jon. That's basically it. He's no better than Josh, only not as extreme, but still an asshole. Most guys are anyway so, not surprising." She played with a strand of her hair.

"Did you tell your mom?

She nodded. "Yeah. She understood that I could handle it, but she still thinks that all guys are from the devil and shouldn't be trusted." She smiled.

Kyle shook his head. "Well she's right about that. We can't be trusted."

She looked at him and turned her head to the side. "There are some guys that I trust."

He hoped that he was one of them.

"I hope so."

She smiled again. "Thanks for the talk, Goldie."

"Anytime."

They both went back into their rooms after saying goodnight to each other. Kyle went back to his bed and picked his guitar back up as ideas flowed into his head for Thursday.


	22. Fall

AN: So, I'm kinda sucking with the updates. My bad, but it's just school you know? Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Tiptoe by Imagine Dragons_

 _**Fall by Justin Bieber *Lyrics to Fall owned by Justin Bieber_

 _**Heart Attack by Demi Lovato_

* * *

"Nice to see you back Ms. Fray." Maya's art teacher said as she walked inside of the classroom on Thursday morning. As if it were the first day of school again, everyone's head turned towards her. It would have been nice if Ms. Hall didn't acknowledge her presence. She did not like people staring at her. It made her feel uncomfortable, but she stayed polite for the teacher.

"Thank you."

Maya took her seat next to Alex and glared at the people still staring at her. They could be doing better things with their eyes. She wasn't _that_ interesting. Maya put her head on her desk. "Are they still staring?" She asked Alex.

Alex giggled. "No, you're good."

Maya knew that Alex knew why they were staring at her. She told her the story a couple days ago. Not as much as she told Jon and Kyle, but a summary. There was no telling how big she would make the situation. Alex was definitely an over-exaggerator. She also apologized and Maya didn't know why. It wasn't her fault, or Kyle's.

"Thanks, Alex." Alex nodded then gave her a smile.

"We should totally have a girls day this weekend. Give you time to forget about stupid guys and just relax."

"Does this 'girls day' involve shopping until I can't walk anymore?" Maya asked.

Alex laughed and shook her head. "No. Just hang out at my place or something. It doesn't matter."

She was okay with that. "That sounds fun."

"Great. I'll text you."

Maya nodded and turned her attention back to the front of the room. She glanced over in Kyle's direction, subconsciously. Jack wasn't sitting next to him anymore.

As if he sensed her looking at him, he looked over to her. He was tapping his pencil on the desk. She put her hands in her hair and mouthed _kill me_ to him. Kyle smiled then shook his head. She pouted playfully then put her head on her desk.

Maybe if she punched Jack again, she could get out of school for the rest of the week. She was really enjoying not waking up so early.

Mornings were definitely not her strong suit.

.o.O.o.

Maya sat down with Stephanie and Alex after she got her lunch. When she moved here, she didn't think that she would ever have girl friends. Most girls didn't like that she wasn't as girly as them. It wasn't her fault though, it was Jon's. Maybe if she had a sister, things would've turned out differently, but wouldn't trade Jon for the world and she couldn't imagine growing up liking pink and sparkles. It made her sick just thinking about it.

She didn't blame Alex and Stephanie for being so girly. It was just their personality and she accepted that. They obviously accepted her for how she was.

"So are you guys going to the game on Friday?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, if you guys are going." Alex said.

Maya nodded. "I'm going."

"Me too." Stephanie added.

Alex smiled. "Yay, then I'll go too. This game is supposed to be some big deal."

Stephanie nodded. "That's because we're playing against the rival school."

"That sounds fun." Alex clapped her hands together.

Maya agreed.

"We should all meet out front and go get seats together." Stephanie suggested.

Maya and Alex both nodded.

Something caught Maya's eye at the back of the cafeteria. The scene made her heart beat a little harder. Kyle was sitting at a table with his usual friends, including Jon, but now there were a lot more girls. Ash was nowhere to be found. The girls were sitting really close to Kyle, flashing their bleached white teeth and boobs.

She scoffed. "What's with all that?"

Stephanie and Alex both followed Maya's gaze to the back of the cafeteria.

Alex was the first to answer. "Apparently, Kyle broke up with the Queen Bee earlier this week. So I guess now that he's available, every girl is trying to get him. He'll probably pick one out by next week, that's just how it goes for him."

Stephanie nodded. "It's like I'm watching _The Bachelor_."

Maya felt herself start to get upset at what she was seeing. Every girl that was near him looked like his type. She watched as one of them leaned and whispered something into his ear. His eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything. She noticed that he looked slightly put-off by all the attention. What she wouldn't give to walk over there and tell them all to back off.

 _Back off?_

She was starting to sound possessive and that was bad. Kyle didn't belong to her, he could make his own decisions. He was obviously making the decision to stay there. She shouldn't care anyway, they were just friends, that was it.

 _But why didn't that make her heart stop pounding?_

She was the one who told him that she wanted to be friends. He had every right to move on and find someone else. She thought, no she knew, that it was the right decision. Their friendship was too strong for them to lose it. She'd also never even been in a relationship and he had. He needed someone with experience. She wasn't good enough for him, she knew that.

It was hard for her to admit it sometimes, but she wasn't okay. Being in this town had already brought up bad memories and created new ones. Being touched by two guys that had no business touching her was disgusting. She didn't like being put in a submissive position where she felt helpless. That was why she hated surprises. She had no one else to thank for making her that way other than her old foster parents. They made her doubt herself, they broke her.

Kyle deserved so much better. He didn't need her past to worry about. She would just drag him down with it.

Stephanie's phone buzzed and when she looked at it, she smiled.

Alex looked at her. "What?"

She was still smiling. "That was Jon." She held her phone out to them so they could see the message.

 _SOS. I can't handle this much stupidity ~Jon_

Maya smiled a little at the text. She noticed that he wasn't looking at any of the girls and she knew Stephanie noticed too.

"That's so cute." Alex said.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. Maya tried to turn her attention away from the back of the cafeteria. It obviously wasn't doing her any good. She practically had to force herself not to full-on look at him. He or Jon would probably be able to tell that she was upset. She glanced one last time in his direction as one of the girls put their hand on his arm and Maya saw how uncomfortable he looked. He took her hand off of him and said something before getting up. She saw the pouty faces that looked more like seduction after he backed away from them. He said something to Jon, which he nodded to, and started towards the cafeteria doors.

Maya looked up as he walked past their table. He looked at her and his eyes widened as if she caught him doing something wrong. She furrowed her brows, but felt her heart clench again. Heat rose to her cheeks as he passed. She really hoped that he didn't notice.

When she looked back to Alex and Stephanie, they were both looking at her. She shifted a little under their gaze. "What's up?"

Alex smiled. "You totally have a thing for my brother. OMG!"

Maya's eyes widened. "I do not." Her heart stammered hard against her rib cage.

"Well he's totally into you. You should see these two in Music." Stephanie said.

Alex looked at Maya. "He told me that you guys were friends, but Kyle isn't just friends with girls."

"Well he is with me because there's nothing going on."

Alex shook her head. "I don't care, I still ship it. He needs to date a girl that isn't a complete slut."

Stephanie nodded.

Maya shook her head. "Sorry guys, but that's not going to happen. I'm not exactly his type."

"So you admit that you like him?"

Maya ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know."

"Just give it time." Alex said.

Maya sighed. "Sure."

Alex and Stephanie started up a conversation not too long after that. Maya just sat back and listened, trying not to get lost in her own thoughts. It seemed like it was really easy for her to do that lately.

She just needed time.

.o.O.o.

When Maya and Stephanie got to Music class, the classroom was mostly empty. Maya recognized Kyle immediately. He was talking to Teddy about something, but Maya only caught the end of their conversation.

"So you can do it?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, I know it."

Maya raised a brow and took her seat next to Stephanie. She wondered what they were talking about, but then again, it was none of her business. More students began to file in and Kyle sat down next to Teddy.

Maya turned to Stephanie. "So is that his new seat now?"

She smiled. "Yup, ever since Tuesday."

That must have been the day that he broke up with Ash. She couldn't imagine it, but she knew Ash didn't take it very well. Apparently, she made it into a show and included everyone. It sounded like something she would do. Maybe he just got tired of her. If he was, he definitely had plenty of options to choose from. She knew she shouldn't be upset by it, but she was.

The bell rang as the last few students came into the classroom. Maya saw Ash sway into the room, looking unfazed. Kyle was talking to Teddy when she walked past and he didn't even bother to look at her. Maya saw the slight twitch in her brow at the lack of attention.

Music class always seemed to go by pretty fast. Ms. Kat would talk about music and different instruments, then some students played a song or two. It was a nice class and the music was usually good.

After a while, Ms. Kat stopped teaching. She turned to the class and smiled. "Okay guys, we have a special performance today. Teddy, Kyle; the floor is yours."

Maya saw most of the girls in the class sit up straighter after Ms. Kat mentioned Kyle. She had to try really hard not to roll her eyes. Teddy walked over to the drums to set up. She heard multiple people gasps when Kyle picked up a guitar.

She thought he didn't play in front of people.

Kyle walked over to the stool in the front. He adjusted the mic and took a pic out of his pocket.

"I didn't know he played the guitar." A girl said near Maya.

"I know right. He's so hot." Another girl said.

Maya bit her lip and closed her eyes. There were so many girls interested in him. She didn't want to hear them talking about him like that.

Kyle played with the strings a little then looked up.

"So, someone suggested that I should play in front of people more. So, here it goes."

He looked back and nodded at Teddy before he started strumming. The entire room got quiet when he started to sing.

" _Whoa, ooh_

Well, let me tell you a story

About a girl and a boy

He fell in love with his best friend

When she's around, he feels nothing but joy

But she was already broken, and it made her blind

 _But she could never believe that love would ever treat her right_ "

Maya saw him look up and his eyes immediately locked with hers. She let out a barely audible gasp. He didn't look away.

" _Did you know that I loved you or were you not aware?_

You're the smile on my face

And ain't going nowhere

I'm here to make you happy, I'm here to see you smile

 _I've been wanting to tell you this for a long while_ "

He looked back down.

" _What's gonna make you fall in love?_

I know you got your wall wrapped all the way around your heart

Don't have to be scared at all, oh, my love

But you can't fly unless you let yourself,

 _You can't fly unless you let yourself fall_ "

When he looked at her again, she knew that it wasn't just a song.

" _Well, I can tell you're afraid of what this might do_

Cause we got such an amazing friendship and that you don't wanna lose

Well, I don't wanna lose it either

 _I don't think I can stay sitting around while you're hurting babe, so take my hand_ "

She closed her eyes.

" _Well, did you know you're an angel who forgot how to fly?_

Did you know that it breaks my heart every time to see you cry

Cause I know that a piece of you's gone

Every time he done wrong I'm the shoulder you're crying on

 _And I hope by the time that I'm done with this song that I figure out._ "

The reality of the lyrics made her feel overwhelmed with emotions. She hoped that he didn't really mean what he was singing. They couldn't do that, not now. He was right, she was afraid of the possibility of them. They had such a good thing going and she didn't want to lose it.

" _I will catch you if you fall_

I will catch you if you fall

I will catch you if you fall

 _But if you spread your wings_

You can fly away with me

But you can't fly unless you let your...

 _You can't fly unless you let yourself fall_ "

She wanted to fall, she wanted to fall so bad, but she couldn't. If she fell, there was no going back and she couldn't handle that. It made her feel like shit to have to hold it all in, but she had no other choice. She didn't want to ruin him.

" _So fall in love (in love)_

I know you got your wall wrapped all the way around your heart

Don't have to be scared at all (don't have to be scared, don't have to be scared at all), oh, my love

But you can't fly unless you let yourself,

 _You can't fly unless you let yourself fall_ "

He looked at her again and there was an certain intensity in his stare.

" _I will catch you if you fall_

I will catch you if you fall

I will catch you if you fall

 _If you spread your wings_

 _You can fly away with me_

 _But you can't fly unless you let your... let yourself fall_ "

He stopped playing and the class started to clap. Maya looked around to see to the dreamy looks on most of the girls' faces. She felt like she was either going to cry or throw up.

"Holy shit." Stephanie said.

Maya looked at her. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "You totally know what. He was looking at you like the whole time."

Maya felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I didn't notice." She lied.

Stephanie smiled. "Sure you didn't."

The bell rang and Maya was quick to get up. She said a quick goodbye to Stephanie and made her way to the front of the room. It felt like she was suffocating. She bumped into someone and mumbled an apology. When she moved to walk again, she bumped into a familiar hard chest. She gasped as he reached to steady her.

"Sorry." She didn't look at him.

He sighed. "Look, I know–"

"That was really good. I didn't know that you played." Ash was twirling a piece of hair between her fingers, almost as if they never broke up.

Kyle turned around. "Maybe that's because we never talked about me or what I liked to do." He sounded annoyed.

Maya took that chance to slip past them and hurry to her next class. She knew that she was acting like an immature child. Avoiding him wouldn't make things better. It wasn't right, but she knew that he would say something that would jeopardize their friendship. He'd already kissed her and, if she were being honest, she kissed him too. That was already too much, but they recovered. At least she thought they had recovered. He hasn't gotten over it and neither has she. How could she forget the first guy that kissed her?

The entire situation made her just want to scream.

.o.O.o.

"Hey, Pants on fire. What's got you so down?"

Maya sighed to Patch. The four of them were all sitting on the floor in the studio.

"Just guy stuff." She shrugged.

"Oh my God, you're blushing!" Olivia said.

She reached up to cover her cheeks and cursed herself. Patch smiled and leaned back on his hands.

"Tell us about it."

"Please do." Olivia added.

Maya rolled her eyes, but decided to tell them anyway. It was easier to tell them because they didn't know as much about her life and they were all becoming really good friends.

"His name is Kyle–"

"The blonde guy that you said was your friend?" Patch asked.

Maya nodded and continued. "Yeah, he's a senior and my neighbor. I met him the first day I moved here and he was really annoying and arrogant, but his sister is like my best friend at that school."

She stopped for a second and they gave her look so she continued.

"He had a girlfriend though and it was obvious that she didn't like me because I was friends with her boyfriend. His friend ended up asking me out, but before I could go, Kyle came over and kissed me."

Olivia's eyes widened. "OMG. What happened next?"

"He was still with his girlfriend and I was supposed to be going out with his best friend. We agreed to be just friends, but I find out today that he broke up with his girlfriend. Then he sung me this song in music class and now I'm just confused. He's been such a great friend and I just don't want to lose him." She took a deep breath. "That was a lot. I know."

They all just stared at her.

"I don't think you would lose him if he likes you this much." Olivia said.

Patch nodded. "Yeah, from what I've seen, he definitely likes you."

"Why are you so against being with him?" Elliot asked.

She shook her head. "I just don't want it to end badly. I'm best friends with his sister and that would jeopardize our friendship too."

"Well, what's life without taking a risk?" Patch said. He reached over and grabbed Elliot's hand.

Maya smiled slightly at them. "A boring one I guess."

"Exactly." He said.

"I agree. Go for it." Olivia added.

Maya sighed. She wasn't sure it she wanted to take the risk or not. It was obvious that she had a lot to think about.

Her mind was going to explode one day.

.o.O.o.

Friday evening, Maya rode her motorcycle to the school. The big soccer game was today and she promised Jon that she would go.

She had been avoiding Kyle since yesterday. If she talked to him, she probably would've screamed in frustration. She didn't know how she should feel about him. Things like this never happened to her, guys didn't call her beautiful or kiss her. He was the only one to ever do that and now she was ignoring him. It wasn't fair to him at all.

Maybe she could talk to him after the game or something. She didn't want things to be awkward between them. Maybe it would be easier to tell him what was bothering her. He'd always been really easy to talk to. He also had a lot of other good qualities that he hid under his façade, but she couldn't think about that. There was a game that was waiting to be watched.

When she got to the front of the school, Alex and Stephanie were already there. Maya always seemed to be the last to arrive places. She made a mental note to adjust her schedule.

"Hey. You ready?" Alex asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah."

The girls walked to the field, which was full of people. Maya looked around the field. She'd never seen it so crowded. The cheerleaders were on opposite sides of the field and the players were with their own teams.

Once they finally found seats, Maya looked down onto the field and saw Jon sitting down on the bleachers near the rest of the team. The bright lights shined down onto the field. She was really hoping that they won, because Jon worked really hard and she didn't stop him from getting in trouble for nothing. Jack was still angry with them, but she really didn't care. She only felt a little guilty for ruining his and Kyle's friendship. They were probably friends for a long time and they would probably never be the same. It was Jack's fault too though.

The game finally started and the players lined up on the field to take their positions. Maya's eyes widened at the other team. They had some pretty big guys that looked like they would be more comfortable on a football field.

"It's like they're playing college guys." She said.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. That's East High's soccer team. I swear their coach put them on steroids or something."

Maya shook her head. "It definitely looks like it."

She wasn't so sure now if they would be able to win, it didn't look to be a fair game. Maybe they could hold their own. From what she'd seen, they're a pretty good team. It was definitely possible for them to win. The ref blew the whistle then the game began. It was definitely going to be interesting.

To most, it would have looked like any other game. Passes were completed and missed, goals were attempted and scored. Maya wasn't fooled by anything. She paid attention to details most people didn't. The tension between Kyle and Jack seemed to be getting worse as the game went on. She could tell that Kyle was distracted by something because he usually played a lot better than that.

The score was three to one with East High in the lead. It wasn't looking so good for the home team. With one of their best players not playing at his best, it was understandable. It was like his mind was somewhere else. He really needed to focus if he wanted them to win. She noticed that she was barely paying attention herself to the rest of the people on the field. It was just like her eyes subconsciously went to him. She couldn't help it.

It wasn't really her intention to avoid him at first, but she couldn't handle all the girls that were constantly flirting with him. Without Ash, he was like a girl magnet and it made her jealous, she would admit that. She wasn't sure if she should just let herself feel what she felt for him. By not talking to him, she made him all distracted for the game. He was probably confused as hell. She hated not talking to him, but she just couldn't do it.

Lake View was finally on offense and Kyle had the ball. He looked around for cover before he started down the field. Maya watched as he toed the ball to a teammate them the teammate toed it back. Jack was supposed to be covering him, but he stayed behind. Maya knew he was doing it on purpose and it was so fucked up. Jon saw what was happening and tried to run over to cover him.

It all happened so fast. Kyle tried to pass another defender when another one knocked him in the side, then another crashed into the front of him. He was knocked to the ground within seconds. Maya gasped and held her hand to her mouth.

He wasn't moving.

 _He wasn't fucking moving!_

"Oh my God."

The whistle blew for a timeout and Maya didn't think twice.

She just ran.


	23. All Or Nothing

AN: I think you'll enjoy this chapter, it's loooooonnnnnnnggggggggg :)

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Atragon by Audiomachine_

 _**Breathe Me by Sia_

 _**Radioactive by Imagine Dragons_

 _**Nightingale by Demi Lovato_

* * *

 _The whistle blew for a timeout and Maya didn't think twice._

 _She just ran._

Her feet pounded against the ground and her hair flew into her face, but she didn't stop. She ran as fast as she could to the center of the field where Kyle was. There was a crowd of players forming around him and she couldn't see. She needed to see if he was okay, that hit looked bad. When she got to the crowd, she pushed with enough force to get through.

She gasped at the scene.

Kyle was on the ground, still not moving. She felt tears starting and tried to control them as she got closer to him.

"Kyle?"

She fell onto her knees and looked at him. It felt like her world was crashing down and she collapsed on top of him. She looked up to see a few players walk closer to them.

"Don't touch him." She said firmly.

She heard Jon's voice in the crowd. "Let's just give them some space. Coach already called the medic."

There were murmurs of agreement then she heard footsteps retreating. She buried her face into Kyle's neck and her vision got blurry.

"This is all my fault. You were distracted because of me and now you're hurt because of me. I should have just told you how I felt instead of avoiding you. The truth is, I don't want to be your friend. I like you, a lot actually, it's just, I'm scared. It scares me how much I like you and you deserve so much better than me. Someone that's not broken, but...maybe you're what I need."

She felt wetness on her cheeks. "We spent so much time pretending and I don't want to pretend anymore. I care about you and I think about you all the time. You make me nervous, but you also make me feel better."

She took a deep breath. "And I swear to God, I'm going to punch you when you wake up for making me act like such a goddamn girl."

His breathing shifted then she felt his arms wrap around her waist. "Then maybe I should keep my eyes closed."

She gasped and removed her face from his neck to look at him. Her face was probably red from the crying, but she didn't care.

"Kyle?" She whispered.

.o.O.o.

Kyle shifted a little bit and opened his eyes to look at her. His eyebrows shot up and he quickly reached one hand up to wipe the wetness from her face. He felt a pain in his side, but ignored it. All he could see was her gray eyes staring down at him.

He'd almost thought that he messed up. She hadn't talked to him since he sung that song for her and whenever he tried, people got in his way. There were a dozen or so girls always popping up, but he didn't want them. He would rather have no one than to not have her. She was the only one he wanted.

"I care about you too." He whispered to her.

"I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and he waited for her to continue. "I'm so stupid for ignoring you like that. Sometimes I just feel like I don't deserve you."

He cupped her cheek in his hand. "You don't deserve me? Are you kidding? I don't deserve _you_. I'm not exactly innocent."

"So we don't deserve each other."

He shook his head and realized that her hair was all around him, creating a curtain for them. "Well I don't care. I just know that I want you."

She didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, just looked at him. After a moment she spoke in a whisper. "I want you too."

It was like music to his ears, her actually admitting that she liked him. The only girl he had real feelings for, the girl that made him happy, and the girl that he would do anything for.

He looked into both of her eyes, she did the same. His gaze drifted down to her lips as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip and licked his own. "Maya, can I..."

She let out a choked laugh and looked at him. "Just kiss me, asshole."

Kyle smiled a real smile for the first time in days. She looked down at his lips then rested her forehead on his. He slowly brought her lips down to his. He didn't want to rush with her, the anticipation made it better.

At the first brush of their lips, his eyes slipped closed and it was as if time stopped. Everyone around them disappeared and it was just them. All he acknowledged was her. She was all that mattered right now. There was a spark whenever he kissed her and he definitely felt it this time. No girl had ever made him feel that way, except for her. He felt like he was finally breathing.

He felt her hands on his chest and the feeling made his heart stammer even faster. His grip on her waist tightened, but he still held her face as gently as he could. Their lips moved together in perfect sync just like the first time they kissed.

He politely asked for entrance by swiping his tongue along her bottom lip. She immediately opened to him and he heard her gasp slightly when he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He groaned at the feeling and sat up, bringing her with him.

She buried her fingers into his hair and backed away for a breath before she crashed her lips back onto his. His hand moved to the back of her neck and into her hair. He still didn't acknowledge anything around him. She tugged gently on his hair and moved her tongue into his mouth. He heard her sigh and felt electricity flow between them again then one of the field lights cut off. He smiled against her lips, but she didn't seem to notice as much and continued to kiss him.

He began to acknowledge others presence and heard that the crowd was cheering. They were actually cheering.

"Come on dude, that's my sister!"

Kyle recognized Jon's voice, but didn't remove himself from her. He flipped Jon off and it was Maya's turn to smile.

"Real mature." Jon chuckled.

Kyle knew that he wasn't mad. Jon knew better than anyone how long he'd waited for this to happen. He knew Jon trusted him with his sister. He would never intentionally hurt her.

They both broke away when they needed air. Their foreheads stayed connected as they looked at each other. He kissed her lips once more before pulling her into him. She buried her face into his neck and played with the strands at the nape of his neck. He wrapped both of his arms around her waist and closed his eyes. Everything about her was the same. She tasted the same, smelled the same, it was all electrifying. He ran his hand up and down her back for a minute, just reveling in the fact that she was there.

She looked back at him and smiled. "Do you think everyone has had enough?"

He chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I think we've scarred Jon for life."

She laughed. "Maybe this is payback then."

He shook his head. It would take him a while to get those two. "Deal."

She stood up and held her hand out to him. He took it and stood up with ease, the pain in his side now gone. It felt like he had all this built up adrenaline out of nowhere and wondered if it had anything to do with the electricity. She continued to hold his hand after he got up so he intertwined his with hers. He looked to see that the timeout was only for another three minutes.

"You okay?" She asked looking at his torso.

He nodded. "I feel perfect right now."

She smiled and shook her head. "Good, because you need to get out there and win this. I know you were distracted before. So go and work out all that frustration you've got built up and we'll talk later."

He smiled, happy to see that her fire was back. "Sounds good to me." He pulled her to him and kissed her temple. She squeezed his hand before she let go. He watched as she jogged back to the bleachers, cheeks red. He would never get tired of making her blush.

.o.O.o.

Maya jogged back over to her seat on the bleachers with a stupid smile plastered on her face. The crowd finally stopped cheering and she couldn't believe that she just made out with Kyle in front of all those people. She couldn't believe she made out with Kyle at all. It definitely wasn't something that she would get used to.

The whole electricity thing was still confusing. It only happened when he kissed her. She would have to look into all of that, because she could never do it on her own. Whenever she tried, nothing happened.

When Maya sat back down next to Alex and Stephanie, she prepared herself.

"OMG. That was so cute!" Stephanie said.

"Yeah. So cute that it's disgusting." Alex added with a smile.

Maya felt her cheeks burn again. "Guys please." She begged.

Alex bumped her shoulder. "But really, I'm happy for you two. At least now I know what he was so depressed about. Maybe he'll perk up a bit now."

Maya bit her lip. "Yeah. I kinda told him I just wanted to be friends before, but I don't think either of us were happy that way."

"So are you guys together now?" Stephanie asked.

Maya shrugged. "I'm not sure. We didn't really have that conversation yet."

"You will. Don't worry." Alex assured her.

The thought of a relationship still scared her, but she was willing to try. She definitely didn't have as much experience as him. The only relationship she knew about was his one with Ash, but somehow she knew he had others. It was still beyond her as to why he wanted her, but she didn't want to think about that.

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the timeout. Kyle was given one penalty kick for the foul. Maya watched as he walked closer to the ball on the goal line. He shook himself out a little bit and looked at the goalie. She noticed now that one of the field lights were out and couldn't help but smile. It was beyond her as to why he could make her do that. It was also weird how his energy returned so quickly, that hit was pretty bad and she was sure he would need a medic. But looking at him now, he looked completely restored. She didn't know, strange things didn't really seem strange to her anymore. Strange was her normal.

The field fell silent as Kyle took a few steps back. Maya hoped that he was focused. The ref blew the whistle and gave Kyle the okay to kick the ball. She held her breath as Kyle ran straight up to the ball. He struck the ball at the perfect spot that allowed it to shoot into the right pocket. She let out a sigh of relief as the crowd cheered. The score was now two to three, with East High still in the lead.

The game would probably last a little longer than she expected.

.o.O.o.

Four to three was the final score. After about another hour of watching the game, Maya was definitely relieved and tired. Jon was able to score too so that was good. After the whistle blew signaling the end of the game, the crowd cheered and made their way down to the field. Beating the rival school was a huge deal.

"I think that that was the longest game I've ever watched." Alex said.

Maya laughed. "Yeah. It was pretty long, but at least we won."

She nodded. "That's true."

Maya looked to her left to see that Stephanie wasn't there anymore. When she looked down onto the field she saw her walking up to Jon. She gave him a hug and said something to him that made him smile. Maya smiled to herself and turned back to Alex.

"Shall we?"

Alex stood up. "We shall."

They made their way down the bleachers and onto the field.

"Oh yeah. I meant to ask you something." Alex told her.

Maya raised a brow. "What is it?"

Alex laughed. "It's nothing bad. Stephanie was staying over tonight and I wanted to know if you wanted to also."

Maya nodded. "Sure, but I'll have to go home and pack a bag."

"Great. My parents are home for the weekend, so Max will definitely be happy to see you."

Maya smiled. "I missed that little guy."

"Well I guess that's my cue." Alex looked behind her.

Maya furrowed her brows and turned around to see Kyle. He was still all sweaty from the game and breathing a little heavily. Alex slipped past them and gave Maya a thumbs up. Maya playfully glared at her before turning her attention back to Kyle.

"Hey." Even after all of that, he still made her nervous.

"Hey." He smiled down at her. "So, what did you think of the game?"

"It was good, a little long, but it was worth it in the end."

He nodded. "Yeah. If we didn't win, I would've gotten knocked on my ass for nothing."

She laughed. "Maybe you were knocked on your ass for a reason."

He took a step closer to her and grabbed her hand. "Well I got you so, I would say that's a pretty good reason."

Her breath caught in her throat. He smiled and shook his head.

"I have to head home and take a shower so, I'll walk you to your bike."

She nodded. "Sure."

They started walking together towards the parking lot when she saw Jon. He walked up to them with Stephanie beside him.

"Can I just say, please never kiss my sister in front of me again. It's like watching your mom make out with your dad." He shivered.

Maya punched him on the arm and felt her cheeks burn. Kyle chuckled beside her as Jon rolled his shoulder.

"Shut up." She said to Jon.

He smiled. "Just kidding—not really, but whatever."

He patted Kyle on the shoulder before walking off with Stephanie. She waved to Stephanie before they left. Kyle let go of her hand and put his arm over her shoulders as they walked to her bike.

"I'm coming over tonight." She said. "Alex is supposed to be having some girls night."

He grimaced. "A girls night huh?"

She nodded. "I'm not really sure what she has planned, but I'm definitely not doing anything too extreme." She hopped onto her bike.

He smiled. "So we can talk later then?"

She stood up on her bike, gripped his shoulders, and kissed his cheek. "Definitely."

"Great." He stood back as she popped on her helmet and revved the engine. She gave a quick wave before she took off. Being that close to him still gave her goosebumps.

.o.O.o.

"Maya! You're back!" Max ran up to Maya and hugged her. She laughed and hugged him back.

"Hey Max. I missed you."

He looked up at her and smiled. "I missed you too."

She had just gotten to Alex's house and Max seemed pretty excited to see her. When she left her house, she saw Kyle's car in the driveway. Alex texted her earlier that her and Stephanie were in her room. Maya took time at home to pack a bag and change into some more comfortable clothes. She was now wearing sweatpants and a white shirt, and her hair was up in a messy bun.

"Do you have to go to bed soon?" She asked him.

He shook his head then pushed up his glasses. "Nope. It's the weekend so my mom and dad let me stay up, but not too late."

"Well, I'll go check on Alex and Stephanie then maybe we can hang out for a bit."

Max nodded rapidly. "Totally."

She smiled. "Cool. I'll go check."

It was pretty late at night. When the game finally ended, it was almost ten o'clock. It was probably around 10:30 now and for some reason she wasn't that tired anymore. Max waited as she went upstairs. She heard the shower running as she walked past the bathroom. When she got to Alex's room, she opened the door.

"Hey, Max was wondering if I could—"

Maya stopped when she saw that Stephanie and Alex were both on the floor, asleep. There were multiple blankets laid out on the floor and the lights were off. Maya shook her head and put her bag down.

"So much for a girls night." She mumbled before leaving the room.

Max was sitting on the stairs when she left Alex's room. She smiled at him. "Well, the girls are sleeping so, I'm free to hang out with you before bed."

He stood from the stairs. "That sounds great!"

She laughed. "Okay. Let's not wake your parents though."

He nodded then put a finger to his lips. She smiled before standing from the stairs.

"I have an idea." He said and started walked towards the living room.

"And what is that idea?" She asked.

He turned on the light and walked over to the tv. When he returned, he had a video game in his hand.

"My mom bought me this game and I wanted someone to play it with."

She took the game. "Call of Duty huh? Okay Mad Max, I'll play, but I have to tell you that I'm pretty good at it."

Jon used to play that game a lot and sometimes she would play with him. It didn't take her that long to get good at it.

Max smiled. "Awesome, I'm pretty good at it too."

"Then we should definitely win." She said.

Max handed her a controller and put the game inside of the console. He turned on the tv then worked quickly on his controller to pull up the game. They both picked their weapons and sat down. She was on one couch and he was on another.

She smiled. "Ready?"

Max nodded and started the game.

.o.O.o.

When Kyle finished showering, he got dressed and decided to go downstairs for a snack. He assumed that Maya was already with Alex and Stephanie. They would probably get to talk tomorrow, that's if nobody got in the way, but on his way to the kitchen he heard Maya's voice.

"I'm going to need you on my six when we get into the building." She said.

Kyle heard Max reply. "Got it, I'm gonna need more ammo soon."

"We'll get you some."

When Kyle walked into the living room, he saw Maya and Max sitting on the couches. They didn't seem to notice that he was there yet so he sat back and watched them. He noticed that they were playing Call of Duty and smiled. He hasn't met many girls that played video games.

Maya was definitely an enigma. Just when you thought you had her figured out, she surprised you with something else. She never ceased to surprise him and he liked that about her.

He pushed himself off of the island and walked over to the couch Maya was sitting on. She glanced at him just as he sat down beside her before turning back to the game. He could see the smile on her face.

"Hey." She said.

Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth and her brows were pulled together in concentration.

He smiled. "So you're a gamer."

"More like a secondhand gamer. Jon used to have me play with him and after a while you pick things up—"

"Grenade." Max said.

"Got it, thanks." She looked at the screen and continued to talk to him. "So I guess you could say that I didn't have a lot of girl friends growing up. Jon and I did everything together and I was just like one of the guys to him. I don't know, sometimes I think about how different I would be if I had a sister."

Kyle couldn't imagine her being any different. The fact that she wasn't like most girls made him like her even more.

"I personally think more girls should do stuff like this." He said.

She smiled. "Me too. They're definitely missing out."

He watched as she shot and killed more people in the game. She was good, really good actually. Max looked like he was having fun too which was great.

"So how often do you play? I remember you saying that video games were one of your hobbies." He was surprised that she remembered that. He wasn't really used to people listening to what he said.

"I don't play as much as I used to, but I used to play a couple times a week."

"I have to say, you don't give off a gamer impression."

He smiled. "Neither do you."

"That's true, but I can do a lot of things that most people don't know about."

"Yeah it's definitely a lot, but that makes life interesting."

She smiled then shook her head. "My life is definitely strange, I'm not really sure what to make of all of it."

He nodded. "I think that way sometimes too."

"Yes!" Max said.

Kyle looked up at the tv and saw the words _Mission Complete_ splayed across the screen. Max walked over to Maya and gave her a high five. She laughed.

"Nice job, Max."

Max yawned before looking at him. "Hey Kyle."

"Hey Max. You ready for bed?"

Max nodded and gave Maya a hug.

"You need us to tuck you in?" He asked.

Max shook his head. "No. I'm good."

He started towards the stairs. Maya smiled. "Night Tyrannosaurus Max."

"Night Michael Maya." Max said before leaving the room.

Maya laughed when he left. "I taught him well."

Kyle shook his head. "How do you come up with this stuff?"

"I used to do it to Jon a lot."

He nodded then he got an idea. "I have an idea, but I need a snack first."

She laughed. "Okay."

He jogged over to the pantry to get some popcorn. Once he found some, he put it in the microwave and waited. The two minutes felt more like ten. When the popcorn was finally done, he put it into a bowl and turned off the kitchen lights.

Maya was still sitting on the couch and he saw that she turned the tv and the game off. He sat down against the wall, facing her. She smiled.

"So what was your remarkable idea?"

He grinned at her. "Twenty questions. Kind of like that project we did, but with our own questions, and without us hating each other's presence."

"I never hated your presence, per se." She shook her head and smiled. "But yeah, sounds interesting. Let's do it."

He never hated her presence either, not in the least, he just didn't know exactly what to think of her. She made him feel things even back then and he didn't know what it meant, but now he knew exactly how she made him feel.

"Okay." He pointed to the lamp beside her. "Could you turn that off?"

She looked behind her and turned off the light, plunging them both into darkness. The moonlight being the only light source in the room. He sat back against the wall and thought about his first question. He didn't want to ask anything too personal.

"Okay. What's your favorite food?" He ate a handful of popcorn.

"Cinnamon rolls. What's yours?"

He smiled. "Classic burger and fries."

She turned so her legs were on the couch, facing him. "If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?"

"I like the name Jordan."

"It has a nice ring to it."

He nodded. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I'm not really sure. I believe that anything is possible, but I would have to see one to believe it." She paused. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I always wanted to play soccer professionally, but I don't know if that's going to happen."

She shook her head. "You're good and any team would be lucky to have you."

He smiled. "Thanks, you're not bad yourself."

She sat up and took some popcorn from his bowl. "Come on, Goldie. Next question."

He laughed. "Okay. What did you think of me when we first met?"

He heard her laugh. "You mean the day that I knocked into you and you insisted on calling me Midge?"

He grimaced. "Yeah..."

She threw a piece of popcorn at him. "My first thought was handsome, then you opened your mouth. So I thought of you as handsome, but cocky. What about me?"

He smiled. "I noticed your eyes first, I've never met anyone with gray eyes. I didn't know what to think. You're different, but a good different."

"You're going to make me regret throwing popcorn at you."

He threw a piece at her. "Now we're even."

She shook her head. "You're an idiot. Okay, what are you thinking about right now?"

He didn't hesitate. "You."

He heard her gasp like he caught her off guard. "Can I ask another question?"

He nodded. "Shoot."

"What do you really see when you look at me?"

He put the bowl of popcorn down and sat next to her on the couch. She turned to him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. He held the side of her face in his hand and made her look at him so she would know that what he was the truth.

"I see you. A fiery brunette with a temper that see's people for who they really are, and I see a girl that I can't stop thinking about. I just wish sometimes that you could see yourself through my eyes, then you would realize how special you are."

She looked between both of his eyes. "You know, you're pretty great too. You were there on my bad days and you didn't judge me for them. I'm just not okay sometimes and it will probably take a while before I am."

He laid down on his back and pulled her into his side. She laid her head on his chest and sighed as he put his free hand behind his head.

"I think the problem is that you've been trying to handle all of this on your own to protect everyone else. You don't have to do anything alone anymore."

"Okay." She whispered.

He decided to lighten the mood a little. "So, what features do you like most about me?"

She laughed. "Conceited much?"

He shrugged. "Just humor me."

She adjusted herself a little. "Okay...Um, your hair. You have great hair. I like your face too, you have a nice face."

He chuckled. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Shut up. So, what do you like about me?"

He smiled. "Well if I have to limit it to a few things. Let's see; I really like your curly hair, your freckles, your eyes, and my favorite thing to do is make you blush."

"Wow that's a lot." She buried her head into his side.

"You're blushing right now aren't you?" He smiled.

She shook her head. "Of course not."

He kissed the top of her head and laughed. "Sure."

They just laid there for a moment. The sound of crickets chirping interrupted the silence.

"So, that probably wasn't twenty questions, but I wanted to ask one more."

"What is it?"

He was suddenly really nervous to ask her this. She could probably hear how fast his heart was beating. They would have to have this conversation sooner or later and he didn't know when he would get her alone again. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her. It may have been the first time he was nervous around a girl. He gripped his hair and forced himself to spit it out.

"I just...want you to be mine." He breathed.

She looked up at him. "Yours? Like your...girlfriend?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I just want to be able to call you that."

She smiled. "Yours." She repeated the word like she was testing it. "I like the sound of that, but I have to say, I've never had a boyfriend."

"And I'm still confused on why not, but I would be honored to be your first." He took a piece of her hair between his fingers.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips. "Yes." She breathed.

He smiled. "Yes what?"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Yes Kyle, of course I'll be yours—"

He crashed his lips onto hers before she could finish. Those were the only words he needed to hear. It felt so good to hear her say that. Nothing could ruin his mood at that moment. "Mine." He murmured against her lips.

She smiled. "Yours."

"I will never get tired of hearing you say that."

She reached up and moved some hair out of his eyes. "Do me a favor?"

He grabbed her hand and laced it with his. "What is it?"

She sighed. "Just...don't give up on me. I'm a tough shell to crack, I know that, but please don't give up on me."

He pulled her tighter against him. "I've got some issues too, but we'll work through them together. I'll always be there for you."

"Together?"

He nodded. "Together."

She let go of his hand and buried her head into the crook of his neck. "Okay, Goldie. You've got yourself a deal."

He smiled. "Great."

After a while, he noticed that her breathing settled into a normal pace. He knew that they couldn't sleep on the couch all night. His parents would kill him if they found him like that with her. Maya probably wouldn't be allowed to stay the night ever again. His parents usually made a big deal out of things like that and he definitely didn't need Alex in his ear.

He slowly unwrapped himself from her. She sighed and he saw the pout on her lips. He quietly slipped his arms under her and lifted her up. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt a sense of déjà vu. Only this time, he accepted the way it made him feel. He started walking towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" She muttered.

He looked down at her as he went up the stairs. "You are going to Alex's room to go to sleep."

She yawned. "But I'm not even tired."

He smiled. "Of course you're not."

She sighed and rested her head back on his shoulder. "Shut up."

He chuckled just as he reached Alex's door. Maya's eyed closed again and their was a slight smile on her face. He juggled all of her weight onto one arm, which wasn't much, and opened Alex's door. The girls were already asleep so he quietly moved to where they were sleeping. He began to put Maya down onto the blanket and her eyes opened. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and laid down on the blankets.

"Night, Goldie."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Night, Angel."

She smiled and he saw that her eyes were closed again. "I like that."

"I thought you would." He smiled. "Goodnight."

She sighed just before he got up to leave the room. He shook is head when he got into the hallway.

That girl was going to be the death of him.


	24. Electric

AN: So I've been getting tons of homework lately. High school seriously sucks :( and I'm pretty sure I failed my test today, but here's a nice fluffy chapter for you guys. Thanks for the reviews, you guys are so sweet. Keep it up!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Atlantica by Pekoe_

 _**Jealous by Labrinth_

* * *

With the possibility that last night was just a dream, Maya kept her eyes shut the next morning. She felt like she was in a daze and was not really aware of her surroundings just yet. If last night was all just a figment of her imagination, she wanted to hold onto it for as long as she could. Maybe everything was just a dream. Maybe she never told Kyle how she felt, maybe she didn't cling to him in the middle of a soccer field like her life depended on it, and maybe when she opened her eyes, everything would be how it always was.

She finally opened her eyes and sat up. When she looked to her left, she saw that Stephanie and Alex were still asleep. It wasn't surprising. No matter how long she stayed up, she always woke up early. She was never really able to sleep for very long anyway. It was no point in just sitting there so she decided to get up and do something. She grabbed her bag on the way to the bathroom.

Once inside, she quickly fixed herself. Her hair looked more like a rats nest so she took out the hair tie that was in there and used one of Alex's brushes to brush her hair out. She grabbed her tooth brush from her bag and brushed her teeth before getting dressed.

The house was pretty quiet when she got into the hallway. She checked the time and saw that it was only quarter to eight. It was understandable as to why apparently no one was awake. Normal people usually sleep in on the weekends and she was far from normal.

She heard a noise come from downstairs and furrowed her brows. Footsteps started towards the stairs and Maya looked closely to see who it was. When she saw a familiar set of blonde curls, she let out a breath. It was too early in the morning to deal with intruders. He had in headphones and looked slightly out of breath. She watched as he climbed the rest of the stairs and finally looked at her. He had a slightly surprised look on his face before recognition crossed over his features. He took out his headphones and put them around his neck.

"What are you doing up so early?" They both asked at the same time.

A smile broke out on both of their faces.

"You first." She said, wanting to know why he was so out of breath.

"I was just out jogging for a bit. What about you?"

She nodded. "I just woke up actually, not really that tired anymore."

They stood there looking at each other for a while, a somewhat comfortable silence settling between them. She didn't really know what to say to him because she was still a little fuzzy about what happened.

"Okay I have a question, but I'm sorry if I'm wrong."

He raised a brow at her. "Alright..."

She smiled at how stupid this was. "Umm... I'm kinda fuzzy about last night. I'm thinking that I dreamed it, but it feels so real, and lately I've been confusing reality and imagination..."

He smiled and took a step closer to her. "So what do you think happened last night?"

Her face flushed at his closeness. "We um...kissed and I admitted that I had feelings for you then you asked me to be yours..." She trailed off.

He gave her his award winning smirk and closed the gap between their bodies. "Well, I can assure you that all of that actually happened. You are in fact my girlfriend."

She couldn't help but notice how close he was to her and how close his lips were to hers. Her voice caught in her throat. "Right." Her voice wavered slightly.

His hands hesitantly rested themselves on her hips and pulled her ever closer to him. He rested his forehead on hers and smiled. "I dreamt of you before, now _that_ felt pretty real." He whispered.

The thought of her being on his mind enough for him to dream about her made her speechless. He continued to speak. "We were in this field and you were wearing this white sundress that I know you would never wear in real life."

She smiled at that.

"But that wasn't the point. It was your expression. You looked carefree and at peace with yourself. That really made me think and now I know that I would do anything to see that look on your face again."

She reached her arms up to wrap them around his neck. "That might take some time, but I know how you could start." She glanced down at his lips then back into his eyes.

He grinned at her. "Yeah? How's that?"

Her hands slid up into his hair. "I bet you can guess."

His grin grew and she felt his grip on her hips loosen, then his hands were cupping her face. He slowly brought her lips to his. She gasped right before his lips closed in over hers. It wasn't that she meant to, but the feeling wasn't anything she was used to. He smiled on her lips and she knew that he noticed it. He continued to kiss her and it felt amazing. It was sweet and slow, they didn't rush anything and she was okay with that.

He pulled away after a moment and smiled down at her. She smiled back then closed her eyes and nodded. "Yup, that's definitely a start."

He ran the pad of his thumb across her lips. "Are you doing anything at the moment?" He asked.

She pretended to think about it. "I don't know, there was this certain guy that I wanted to hang out with, he's an ass though. Ring any bells?"

He chuckled. "You're such a smartass, but I like it."

"Pfft. I know you do." She copied his smirk.

He shook his head. "Don't let that go to your head though."

"Even if I did, your ego would still be bigger." She smiled and patted his head.

He pouted playfully then grabbed her hand. She followed as he went into his room. He let go of her hand and fanned his shirt. "I should get changed. Wait here?"

She nodded and sat on the edge of his bed. He pulled out multiple pieces of clothing from his dresser, then disappeared out of the room. Maya decided to do something to pass the time when she heard the shower turn on. She saw a lamp beside the door and turned towards it. It was still beyond her as to how she could control electricity, but she could never seem to do it on her own.

It wouldn't hurt to try it again, so she took a deep breath and felt her eyes begin to spark, but nothing happened. The lamp was still turned off. Maybe it would work if she used something else. She slipped her phone out of her pocket and turned it off. Another breath was taken the she concentrated on her phone, blocking everything else out. She stopped trying after it felt like her head was going to explode and the phone still didn't turn on. She gripped her hair and let out a frustrated noise.

 _Get it together_ she thought to herself.

After a moment, she heard the door open behind her then close again. She didn't turn around, still focusing on her phone, but of course just like every other time, nothing happened. She sighed, finally feeling defeated.

Kyle walked so that he was in front of her, he looked behind him before sitting down on his bed. She finally looked at him and knew that he noticed her look. It was pretty hard to miss the look of pure defeat. He held his hand out to her and when she took it, he gently pulled her onto his lap.

"What's got you so frustrated?"

She rested her head on his shoulder and let his presence calm her. "It's my powers. They're just confusing me."

"How?"

She smiled slightly. "You know how almost every time we kiss, something happens electricity wise?"

He nodded.

"Well I've been trying to see if I could do something on my own, but every time I try, I get nothing. It's only when you..." She removed her head from his shoulder as realization dawned on her. It was him, it was all him. He brought that ability out of her.

She gasped. "I figured it out."

He raised a brow. "Does it have to do with me kissing you, because" he brought his face closer to hers. "I would gladly do that again."

She felt her cheeks burn as she smiled. "As good as that sounds, that's not exactly what I had in mind."

He raised a brow and she continued.

"You're going to help me figure this whole electricity thing out."

He smiled. "Okay. Any ideas?"

She sighed then put her head back on his shoulder. When something sparked her interest, she usually put her all into it. She bit her lip and tried to come up with something, then said the first thing that came to mind.

"Okay. What do you feel when you kiss me?" She could practically feel the blush in her cheeks.

He brushed his fingers over hers. "Intoxicated." He said.

Her heart actually skipped a beat at his words. She would probably never get used to how being in a relationship feels. All of the giddy feelings were unknown to her. Guys never spoke to her like that.

She nodded. "So you just have to replicate that feeling. Do you think you can do that?"

He grinned. "Of course I can. It's not like I have to force myself to feel that way. It's just how I naturally feel when I'm around you."

She wondered why he never showed this side of himself to anyone else. He'd made himself out to be this huge douchebag, but in reality he's actually really sweet.

She stood up. "Then I think we should give it a shot."

He got up as well and followed her over to the lamp beside the door. She was determined when she grabbed his hand without hesitation and took a deep breath. He waited for her cues and stood beside her.

"Okay. Now close your eyes and just imagine those feelings flowing out of you and into me."

He nodded before closing his eyes. She cleared her mind of everything else because that's what his kisses usually did to her. After a moment she felt it, the flow of electricity building in up in her body. She gasped at the feeling then focused on the lamp in front of her. Her eyes began to spark then the lights came on, and not just the lamp, but every light in his room. It looked like it would take time for her to control it since it was so new to her. He turned to her after glancing around his room.

"Amazing." He said after she turned the lights back off.

She smiled up at him. "We did it, but maybe that was a little too much. We'll work on it."

He nodded. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "I was think about going to the store and getting some cinnamon rolls."

"Let me drive you. Maryse and Robert have a grocery list so we'll just get cinnamon rolls too. Is that okay?"

"I bet there's nothing more fun than taking a trip to the supermarket with you."

He shook his head at her, smiling. "I am a joy to be around and I would look damn good shopping for food."

She rolled her eyes before grabbing her phone and turning it on. "So cocky Kyle _is_ still in there. I was beginning to think that he disappeared."

He put his arm over her shoulders and led her through the silent house. "He only disappears for you, Angel."

He grabbed his keys and they walked outside together. She looked at him. "You called me that last night, didn't you."

He smirked. "I did. You said you liked it."

She walked to the passenger side of his car and he followed to open the door for her. "Thanks." she said, blushing.

He brought his lips to her burning cheek. "Get used to it."

She smiled to herself before sitting down. He closed her door then jogged over to his own.

On the way to the market, Maya looked outside, but casually glanced at Kyle from time to time. She was pretty sure that he noticed by now, but he didn't say anything about it. She couldn't help looking at him. It was like she needed to look at him to convince herself that all of this was real. She'd never thought in a million years that _she_ would get the guy, especially a guy like him. The word boyfriend still sounded foreign to her. It felt strange but good at the same time. She didn't know what it was that made her seem so special in his eyes, but now was not the time to question it.

"What are you thinking about over there?" His voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"I'm just taking all of this in." She said.

He nodded. "I am too."

She sighed. "I just don't want to screw it up."

He shook his head. "You won't, if anything, I will. I'm horribly incompetent at being someone's boyfriend."

She laughed. "You? Incompetent at something? That can't be." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

He smiled. "I think it was because I wasn't with the right girl before."

"And you think I am?" She said in disbelief.

"One hundred percent. How I feel right now, I don't think anyone else could even come close to making me feel like this." He said.

She smiled. "I'm not used to all this, but I know that I care about you and you care about me and I don't usually let people get this close to me, but I'm willing to...for you."

"And I meant what I said last night. We'll get through all of this together." He reached over and laced his fingers through hers.

She nodded. "Okay."

.o.O.o

"You know Jon calls me Angel, right?" Maya said as they walked towards the supermarket together.

He smiled. "But that's in your secret language so it doesn't count."

She slapped his arm with her free hand and laughed. "It's not a secret language!"

He laughed with her. "Okay fine, would you like a different name?"

She shook her head then smiled. "No, I like it too much coming from you."

"Then Angel it is. I'm sure Jon won't mind sharing."

She nodded then let go of his hand to grab a basket. "I'll carry this while you get the stuff."

Kyle watched her as she walked inside. He followed behind her and pulled the list out of his back pocket. His parents usually did the shopping every weekend, but he did it this time in order to spend more time with her. He always wanted space when it came to his past relationships, but with her it was like he always wanted to be near her, to be close to her. These kinds of feelings were new to him. He just knew that he felt a lot better when she was around.

"What's on the list?" She asked.

He looked down at the paper in his hand, there weren't many things that they had to get. "Bread, milk, eggs, cereal, flour, toothpaste, and soap."

She nodded. "Let's get the toothpaste and soap first." She turned to him. "Where would that be?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She deadpanned. "Seriously, you've been living here for God knows how long and you've never been to this supermarket?"

"Maybe once, but my parents usually do all the grocery shopping."

She shook her head. "Just for that, you get to hold the basket."

He chuckled softly and took the basket. "Yes, mom."

She playfully glared at him then started walking toward the aisles. "Remind me why I like you again?" She said.

He smirked. "Because of my charming good looks obviously."

He heard her snort. "Yeah that must be it."

He held a hand to his chest. "That hurt, right here."

She laughed. "Oh my God, you're such an idiot. You're supposed to be helping me."

He put his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Fine."

They finally found the aisle with the bathroom necessities. "Good, because I will kick your ass, Goldie."

He knew that she was just joking. "I know."

She smiled. "Okay, what kind of toothpaste and soap do you guys use?"

He gave her a look and her eyebrows shot up.

"Okay...any kind will do."

"Yeah, let's go with that." He said.

He picked out a random soap and toothpaste and dumped them in the basket. She shrugged and started walking again, he followed her down the aisles.

"Ooh bread." She pulled him into the bread aisle with her.

She was surprisingly strong for her size. He chuckled. "Someone's excited."

"Haven't you heard, bread is the new trend. Just ask the kids."

He shook is head. "I'm sure it is." He tossed a bag into the basket and kept it moving. They saw flour at the end of the aisle and picked that up too. He wasn't really sure if he was getting the right stuff, but he couldn't care less.

After getting all of the things on his list, they went to go get her cinnamon rolls. He watched as her eyes lit up at the sight of them. She got a can and held it as they walked towards the checkout.

"Got everything?" She asked him.

He nodded and put his arm over her shoulder. When they got to the checkout line, they put their stuff on the conveyer belt and waited for the two people in front of them to pay for their things. It looked like they picked a slow cashier. The guy looked like he was still in high school and was probably still learning how to do his job.

Kyle turned to Maya. She looked up at him as he played with one of her curls, her eyes had a brightness in them that he didn't see that often. It was nice to see her like that, she deserved to be happy. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and put her face in his chest. He smiled and put his arms around her, his chin resting on the top of her head. The smell of her shampoo flooded his senses.

"So, are you going to share your cinnamon rolls with me?"

"I don't know if I like you enough to do that."

He chuckled then leaned down to her ear. "Are you sure about that?" His lips brushed her ear as he lowered his voice. "Because I have no problem with begging."

He smiled when he felt her shiver and went back to resting his chin on top of her head. She buried her head deeper into his chest.

"No fair,"

"So is that a yes?"

She nodded.

He chuckled again and placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Thanks, Angel."

She unwrapped her arms from around him as the line began to move. He turned toward the cashier as he began to ring up their items.

Kyle saw the guy glance up as something caught his eye. He raised a brow and followed the guy's gaze to behind him and saw Maya looking at a magazine with a car on the front. It was obvious that the guy was checking her out. Kyle gave him the dirtiest look he could muster and blocked his view from her. The guy quickly redirected his eyes as if he weren't looking and brought up the total. Kyle gave him the money and watched as he slowly got the change. After he finally gave him the change he turned his head slightly to Maya, still glaring at the guy.

"Let's go." He held out his hand.

She took it then he grabbed the two bags. His jaw clenched as he turned away and started walking with her towards the exit, trying to control his anger.

It wasn't like him to get jealous, but he already knew that things with her were different. This was a girl that he truly cared about. Having these feelings for her made him jealous of any guy that got close to her. It was obvious that he was becoming possessive, and it wasn't his intention. He couldn't help but feel jealous when other guys touched her or talked to her or made her smile. If it were like any of his past relationships, he wouldn't have cared as much. He never wanted a girl as much as he wanted her. It was just something about her that made him lose his mind a little. He knew that he was acting like a child with all the jealousy, but he just couldn't help it. He was beginning to think that guys had always been interested in her, but she just didn't notice. She was a beautiful girl and it was hard to believe that no guy had never looked at her twice.

His past self would've laughed at him for feeling like this. He used to be so emotionless. It was like no one could ever make him feel anything. Nothing could ever pull his full attention and everything was just boring to him. Then she came along and changed everything for him. She called him out on his bullshit and made his life not so predictable. There was no telling what would happen when she was around. He always found himself smiling when he was around her. It was crazy how much she altered his life. Maybe it was a change that was well overdue.

"Hey."

He felt her tug on his hand. They had reached his car and he was moving to put the groceries in the trunk. He turned to her before putting the groceries inside and knew that she could tell that something was wrong with him.

"What's wrong? You kind of zoned out just now." She said.

He sighed, shut the trunk, and leaned against it. She moved until she was standing in front of him and furrowed her brows. He watched as she bit her lip and fumbled with her fingers.

"Did I...do something wrong?"

His eyes widened and he grabbed her hands. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just me being stupid."

"Then what's wrong?"

He took a breath. "Apparently I get jealous really easily now."

Her eyebrows rose. "Jealous of what?"

"Well I guess when it comes to you, I'm a possessive, jealous ass and it kills me to watch guys look at you like that or touch you and talk about you. I trust you and everything, but I don't know, I just can't help it."

She shook her head. "I don't know what 'guys' you're jealous of, but I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. And I like that you're feeling possessive, it shows that you care. There aren't many people that care about me so it's nice to have have someone care for a change."

He looked up at her as she continued.

"You're not the only one that gets jealous. How do you think it made me feel to watch all of those girls try and get your attention or seeing you with Ash. I mean look at her and look me, how could I even compare to that?"

He didn't know that she felt that way. This was another reason why he should've broken up with Ash a long time ago.

"No one compares to you. You're not like anyone I've ever met before. You know I told my grandmother about you, she was actually the one who convinced me to go after you. No girl has ever made me feel how you make me feel so don't worry about that. All I see is you and only you. And I'll work on not being such a prude, I promise."

He gave her a small smile. She smiled back and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands rested lightly on her hips.

"You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better." She said.

He smiled. "That's what I'm here for, Angel."

He brought his lips to hers for a brief kiss before going to open her door. She slid into the passenger seat with a blush slowly forming on her cheeks.

Kyle couldn't help but smile to himself.

* * *

AN: I didn't want to leave you hanging after the chapter. Maybe I should start leaving AN's at the bottom too. Is that what other people do? Whatevs, enjoy your day :)

~A (Not the PLL one...Or maybe I am, you never know...and probably never will know because that show loves cliffhangers)


	25. Imogen's

AN: So the website crashing delayed this chapter. Sorry :( , I'm still here.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons_

 _**Perfect Picture by Bea Miller_

* * *

"What if she doesn't like me?"

Kyle laughed at Maya. He was driving them to Imogen's for a visit because ever since he told Imogen about their relationship, she constantly told him that she wanted to meet her. So they were finally going, a week later.

"Imogen likes everyone, you have nothing to worry about."

She took a breath. "If you say so."

Her being so nervous made him smile to himself. To him, his grandmother was just a laid back kind of person. Out of his family members, he probably liked Imogen the most. She always said that she didn't like the way Robert and Maryse treated him because nothing was his fault, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that. Imogen was also another person that he didn't have to be an ass around. It was all for show anyway, well most of it.

For the past week, him and Maya weren't exactly affectionate during school. Most people had seen them kiss at the game, but didn't think much of it. They just didn't feel the need to flaunt their relationship all over the place. He also didn't want other girls attacking her because she was with him. Of course he knew that she could hold her own but the added drama was unwarranted. He wanted to tell the whole world about how this amazing girl was _his_ girlfriend, but that wasn't possible. Besides, he kinda liked how private their relationship was. It was just about them.

They still hung around each other during school as if they were best friends. He also got a speech from Alex threatening to hurt him if he hurt Maya, but he could never see himself intentionally hurting her. Most didn't really understand how special she was to him. He was just trying to be the best boyfriend he could be for her, it was still a lot to get used to. Being in a serious relationship that wasn't just about physical attraction or popularity was new to him. He wasn't used to actual _feelings_.

His grandmother's house came into view after a moment. It wasn't that far away from his house, which made it easy to get there. After he parked the car, he got out to open Maya's door. She got out and immediately grabbed his hand. He shut the door and stood in front if her, seeing the nervousness etched on her face. He let go of her hand to rub his hands up and down her arms to soothe her.

"Relax. She'll love you. I promise."

She let out a breath and nodded. "Okay."

He smiled and kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand again. They walked up to her porch and he knocked on the door.

Imogen opened the door after a few moments and smiled when she saw who it was. Her smile brightened when she saw who was next to him.

"Well hello there." She said to Maya. "Come in, come in."

Maya let go of Kyle's hand to walk in front of him. The house smelled the same as always, like apples and cinnamon. It made him think of his childhood when he used to come over every weekend. He still came over as often as he could to see her.

They all sat down in the living room, Kyle taking a seat next to Maya, and Imogen taking the chair across from them.

"You told me she was beautiful. This young lady is absolutely stunning." Imogen smiled.

Kyle saw Maya blush from the corner of his eye, obviously not expecting the compliment. He couldn't agree more with his grandmother's words.

"Thank you ma'am."

Imogen's eyebrows rose. "And so polite, but there's no need for the ma'am." She put her hand next to her mouth. "It makes me feel old. Just Imogen is fine."

Maya smiled and pointed at Imogen. "So you're not Kyle's aunt?"

Imogen's smile brightened and she turned to Kyle. "I like her."

He turned to Maya and smiled. "Me too."

She blushed and moved her hair to cover her cheeks. He knew that she wasn't used to compliments, but he was going to make sure she got used to them coming from him. She was beautiful and deserved to be told that she was.

"Kyle, could you go get the mail for me?" Imogen asked.

He nodded. "Sure."

Maya gave him a smile and tucked her hair behind her ears before he left the room. He knew that Imogen would like her, everyone seemed to like her. She just had that kind of personality that people were drawn to. He was drawn to her the first time that they met. It was nice how she took his sarcastic arrogance and dished it right back to him. There weren't many people that could do that, it was kind of shocking at first.

When he got outside, he walked over to Imogen's mailbox and got all of the mail out of it. He knew Imogen was trying to get him out of the room so she could talk to Maya alone, so he waited a moment before he went back in. She wasn't one to interrogate people with lots of questions. It was ironic when Maya called Imogen his aunt because that's kind of what he thought of her as. Not really as a grandmother, but like a second mom. As he walked back to the living room, he heard Maya talking.

"You can find it at any local market really."

Kyle walked in to see Imogen with a pen and paper in her hand. Kyle raised a brow at them as he took his seat.

"What are—"

"Shhh!" Imogen interrupted him then turned back to Maya. "So what's next sweetheart?"

Maya laughed at Kyle's pout and grabbed his hand. "After you get the Sencha tea leaves, boil some water and put about two tablespoons in. After a couple minutes, just drain it and I swear it's like the best tea you will ever have."

Imogen wrote it down. "Sounds delicious and I don't think I've had Japanese tea."

Maya smiled. "Well this is definitely where you want to start."

"Well thank you for the tip, I will make sure to try it."

"Great. You'll love it."

Kyle sat back and watched as the two spoke. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. After a while he stopped listening to what they were talking about and just watched Maya. The facial expressions that she made, the way her eyes brightened, and how her lips moved with each word she spoke. Sometimes it just felt so unreal that this girl was his.

"So how has my grandson been to you? And don't be afraid to tell me the truth."

Maya smiled. "He's been..."

"An asshole?" Imogen finished for her.

Kyle put a hand to his chest. "Thanks Imogen."

Maya laughed. "No, he's actually really sweet. I feel like I get the real him when I'm around."

He smiled, brought her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Sweet" definitely had not been a word used to describe him, but that was probably because she was the only one who got that side of him. She did get the real him, there was no pretending with her.

"Well I definitely see a change, a good one." Imogen looked at the two of them with a smile.

The three of them just sat and talked for a while. He could tell that Maya wasn't nervous anymore and relaxed a little more. Imogen's house was just a comfortable place, everyone was welcome in her book. She didn't judge people either. You could literally tell her anything and she wouldn't treat you differently. He remembered coming to her when he saw he had a problem with fighting. It wasn't like he went around bullying people or just beat them for no reason. He usually fought people that seemed to have a problem with him or decided that they wanted to pick a fight. It was definitely not something that he was proud of. The anger just got to him some days, but he felt like he was better now. He hadn't really been in a genuine fight in months. That was a big deal for him. Maybe he was changing.

Maya's phone ringing brought him back. She furrowed her brows and dug in her pocket to get it. When she looked at who was calling, she gave them an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I should take this, it's my mom."

Imogen waved a hand. "That's no problem sweetie."

Maya stood up, still holding his hand. She looked down at him and smiled. "Be right back."

He kissed her hand again before he let go. Her cheeks reddened as she excused herself and walked away. His eyes followed her until she was out of the room, and when he turned back around, he smiled to himself. His day usually wasn't complete unless he made her blush.

"Wow."

He looked up at Imogen. "Wow what?"

She smiled. "I just thought I'd never see the day. Look at that smile on your face, I haven't seen that since you were just a little boy. It took a while, but I think you're finally on the right path and I see the way you look at that young lady, so do me a favor and hold on to her because you won't find another like her. This kind of thing only happens once in a lifetime. And a piece of advice for you; I know you've got her, but treat her like you're still trying to win her."

He listened closely to his grandmother's words. Her advice was always great. She definitely knew what she was talking about.

"I'm definitely going to hold onto her, for as long as I can. We've only been officially together for about a week but we started off so strong and our friendship was so great before that. Words just can't describe how amazing she is."

Imogen looked pleased with his response. "I am so proud of you. I just wanted to slap you sometimes, dating these girls that you had absolutely no feelings for whatsoever. It must have been tiring."

He laughed. "Yeah it was, but thanks Imogen."

"Don't mention it, I'm just glad to see you genuinely happy again."

He nodded just as Maya came back into the room, putting her phone back in her pocket. She looked at both of them before sitting back down.

"I'm sorry about that. My mom was just telling me that dinner would be ready soon."

Imogen looked at her watch. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. You guys head on home for dinner."

Kyle looked at his watch to see that it was almost eight. He didn't even notice how long they'd been there. He was just so comfortable that he forgot about the time.

Imogen stood up and motioned for them to follow her. He took Maya's hand in his again and followed Imogen until she came to a stop at the front door. She glanced down at their clasped hands and smiled.

"You two be well now."

Kyle kissed his grandmother on the cheek before opening the door.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked her.

She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about me boy. Go on."

He shook his head. "I always worry about you Imogen."

Imogen rolled her eyes at him then turned to Maya. "It was so nice to finally meet you. Come visit me again yeah?" She gave her a small hug.

Maya nodded. "Of course I will Imogen. I still have more recipes to share with you."

"Sounds like a plan."

They gave her one last goodbye before leaving out of the door.

.o.O.o.

Maya continued to hold Kyle's hand as they walked back to his car. After a moment he let go to open her door for her. She slipped into the seat and waited for him to get in. When he pulled off, he looked at her and smiled.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Not at all actually."

She had to admit that she wasn't expecting it to go that smoothly. Imogen was definitely not a typical "kids these days" grandma. She was actually kind of cool. She reminded her of a cool aunt that let you get away with things your parents wouldn't. Kyle was lucky to have someone like that in his life. He told her about how Imogen was his "go to" person when he needed someone to talk to. It sucked that his parents weren't there for him like they should. Did they realize how much they were affecting him by leaving him in the dark? She'd only met Maryse once and that was pretty brief. She had no idea what Robert even looked like.

And what about Max. Did they know how he felt about being away from his siblings? She saw the way Max practically idolized Kyle. The way he looked up to him and worshiped him almost like he was a father figure. It was obvious that there were a few questionable actions taking effect. Were they isolating Kyle on purpose or was it just mere negligence? A slip of the mind? She just couldn't help that there was more to the story. There was always a reason behind these kinds of things. It was just confusing the hell out of her as to what it was.

Maybe Kyle knew the reason and just didn't want to talk about it. She was completely fine with that too; he didn't owe her anything. He would tell her if he wanted to or whenever he was ready. Holding things in was something she was familiar with. She couldn't expect him to come out with everything when she hadn't really opened up all too much either. Yeah, she told him about her past, but she left out significant information that could explain why she was having nightmares or why she was so closed off. It wasn't like she wanted to hold it all in, but she could never really seem to talk about it. No therapist could make her spit it out. Jocelyn knew because of her file and the things that she'd told her over the years, it was the same with Jon. They were the only people she had and trusted.

She felt like she was getting better everyday. Kyle was also really easy to talk to and when the time came, she could see herself opening up to him. She definitely trusted him, that was for sure.

"The silence is killing me, Angel."

Maya looked up to see that they were pulling into his driveway. Was she out of it the entire time? She could really get lost in her own thoughts.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

He cut the engine and turned to her. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, not wanting to worry him. "I'm fine, I promise. I just get to thinking sometimes and I kinda lose myself."

He smiled. "Do I happen to be in your scandalous daydreams?"

She snorted. "Scandalous? I'm not daydreaming about smut."

His smile turned into a smirk. "You sure you don't imagine me without a shirt, all sweaty with my lips on yours and my hands—"

"Okay!"

She imagined that her cheeks were the color of a fire hydrant by now. It wasn't like her to get all hot and bothered like that, but anything was possible with him. He had a weird way of doing things, but he was able to take her mind away from what was bothering her. It was like he always knew exactly what to say and when to say it. How he did it; she would never know.

He smirked. "But you didn't let me finish." His voice was low and it made her feel like the car was getting a lot hotter.

"I think it would be best if you kept it to yourself."

She didn't want to imagine where his hands would be because that would lead to. . . things. And by "things" she meant kissing the hell out of him right then and there. She'd never seen him without a shirt but after knocking into him countless times, she could guess that he was very toned.

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Angel. Let me walk you to your door."

She nodded. "Okay."

They crossed the lawn until she was on the porch and he was on the bottom step. She was almost as tall as him that way. He smiled.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

She sighed dramatically. "Well, seeing as though we have school tomorrow, you have no choice."

He took the next step on the porch, forcing her to have to look up at him, and leaned in to her. His face was really close to hers.

"You're too damn smug." He shook his head and his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her waist as he pulled her against him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"This," he leaned down slowly then captured her lips with his. She sucked in a small breath as her eyes slipped closed. His lips were warm and smooth against hers. Her hands moved up until they were in his hair, the soft strands curling around her fingers.

He pulled away all too soon, but didn't remove his arms from around her. His touch always made her feel warm inside. _Warm inside?_ He really was turning her into a girl, but she didn't care. All she knew was that at that moment, with him, she was happy.

He reached his hand up and swiped the back of it across her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Angel. Have a good night sleep." He brought his lips to her cheek and slowly backed away from her. "Dream of me, yeah?"

He walked across the lawn to his house, a lazy smile on his face. She let out the breath she was holding and opened the door. Her heart stammered against her ribcage. She shut the door and leaned against it. He made her feel so giddy, it was so stupid how she couldn't stop smiling. But for some reason she didn't want to.

* * *

AN: Have a nice weekend, loves :)

~A


	26. Reckless Abandon

AN: Look, Im actually on time. . . kinda :) Anyway, enjoy this looonnnngggg chapter mates

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Demons by Imagine Dragons_

 _**Take It Back by Liza Anne_

 _**Born to Die by Lana Del Rey_

 _**Youth by Daughter_

* * *

Kyle jogged down the stairs that morning to get some breakfast before school started. His mother decided that her and Robert were going to be staying there for few more days. They never really stayed the whole week anyway. It didn't really make any difference to him. It wasn't like they wanted to spend quality time with him. Maybe Max did, but he was only a kid, he didn't know anything. Maryse's main focus was spending time with her daughter and Robert with Max. That left him with no one. He was seventeen and could take care of himself, but what about all those years of nothing from them. He never really was anyone's favorite. Of course he had always been popular at school, but he would gladly trade his popularity for some decent amount of attention at home. Even at family gatherings they always talked about how well Alex was doing academically and how good a kid Max was.

Whenever his name came up in conversations, the subject was changed. He had nothing to be proud of back then, all he had accomplished was getting suspended more times than he could count. His acting out was almost like a cry for help to him. He would get grounded and would feel like an actual kid for once. It was crazy the amount of times he was left home alone, forgotten about, while they all did stuff together. Maryse would have some girls day with Alex and Robert would take Max to the park or something, leaving him with his guitar or whatever so called girlfriend he had at the time. And when they were all together, he pretended that everything was perfectly fine. He used to convince himself that they didn't do it on purpose, that they didn't do it to hurt him, but he was tired of pretending. Sometimes he couldn't believe how naïve he used to be. He was a classic example of a dumb blonde.

He'd gone through life angry at the world. The way he carried himself made people either fear him or draw to him. The whole bad boy façade attracted the ladies and the sports got him friends. He tried to use them to fill in the void. He craved attention and that was exactly what he got. But all of that didn't count for shit anymore. He didn't care about their attention anymore, because he only wanted one person's attention now.

 _Hers_.

After years of trying to fill that empty space, Maya came right in and made him forget. She made him forget about his parents, the anger issues, everything that he regretted. He didn't know how he ever got along before without her. When he wanted to lose himself and forget, all he had to do was think about her.

She was like a drug and he needed more of it, he needed to be around her. Yeah, he would get to see her at school of course, but he wanted to hold her, touch her, kiss her, but he couldn't do those things there. They were just so busy lately. He always had soccer practice and she was always dancing at the studio. Sometimes they were able to sneak in a kiss here and there, and they had their window talks often. But what he was really trying to say was that he missed her. He knew it was a stupid thing to say, seeing that they saw each other everyday, but he couldn't help but feel that way.

The smell of breakfast brought him back to reality. Everyone was already downstairs with Maryse setting everyone's plate down. He knew that her and Robert had to get to work soon and drop Max off at school. He was about to take his seat when Maryse let out a frustrated sigh. She was looking through her briefcase searching for something, but obviously not finding it. She looked around quickly until her gaze fixed on him.

"Kyle could you run into my room and get the Lewis file from my closet? It's on the top shelf, right hand corner."

He sighed. "Can't Alex or someone else do it?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Everyone else has already started eating, so just run up and get it."

Not being in the mood to argue, Kyle got back up from his seat and made his way to the stairs. He made no move to rush, because no one rushed him. So these were the kind of things he was acknowledged for. Great.

When he reached his mother's door, he walked in then slowly made his way over to the closet. Her closet was a mess, with papers and old files piled against the wall and shelves. The organizational part of his mind wanted to take everything out and organize it, but he managed to push that part of his mind away. Now all he had to do was find the damn file in all of that mess. He looked in the right hand corner and saw a few files piled in the corner.

When he took them off of the shelf, a shoebox fell onto the floor, spilling the contents. He kneeled down to pick everything up thinking that it was just something for a case until he saw his name on one of the envelopes.

He furrowed his brows, wondering why his mother had mail that was addressed to him. He looked at the other pieces of mail in the box and saw that all of them were addressed to him.

 _What the hell?_

He read the name on the return address and his eyes widened. His heart began to beat faster and the anticipation of what he was about to discover was building. The name on the card read: Stephen H.

He'd heard the name before, but he couldn't really put it all together yet. The name was only spoken about once or twice, but he never cared as much until now. When he looked on the other pieces of mail, he saw that all of them were from him. Kyle didn't know what to think as he opened one of them. It was a letter, a typed one.

 _Dear Son,_

 _It's getting close to your thirteen birthday and I've been writing to you for a few years now, but I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you. I know that there's a ninety percent chance that you won't get this. I'm going on a hunch that you're reading the letters, but choose not to respond. I want you to know that I understand if you don't want to talk to me. You're probably enjoying being a teenager and all, but I need you to understand that I haven't forgotten about you. I wanted to come see you, but Maryse suggested that I wait longer. I don't know how long she wants me to wait to meet my son, but I don't want to cause any trouble. If you're happy then so be it, but say the words and I'll be there. As you know, or maybe you don't, I try to send one of these every couple of months to check in. Write me back sometime, if you're reading this._

 _~ Your Father, Stephen_

Kyle was clutching the paper so tight that he thought he would rip it in two. How could his mother do this to him? She hid these from him for years. She made him think that his real father wanted nothing to do with him, but it was obvious that he wanted to be in his life. There were about a hundred letters that proved it. He could've been building a relationship with him all these years, but they took that opportunity away from him. It made him sick to his stomach. How did she manage to get every letter that he sent without him reading at least one by mistake? He had the chance to write him back, but he couldn't get all those years back. He'd always felt so isolated from his family. He almost felt like an outsider looking in.

His confusion turned to anger as he yanked the box off of the floor and quickly went downstairs. Alex was gone already, probably catching a ride from someone else. Maryse was near the island. Kyle walked over to her and slammed the box onto the table, the action startling her.

"Kyle, what—"

"Don't what me. How about you explain why you hid these from me."

She took the box quickly and shook her head. "You shouldn't be looking at these."

He turned to see Max still putting on his book bag.

"Go wait in the car Max." He said, not wanting him to hear this.

He nodded slightly and started walking toward the front door.

Kyle turned back to his mother. "Those letters were addressed to me. I have every right to look at them. What right do you think you have to keep these from me for all these years?"

She waved a hand like it was nothing. "This man is not your father. Robert is and always will be, no letters will ever change that."

"Robert is not my father, he may have raised me, but Stephen is my father. You made me think all these years that he wanted nothing to do with me. How do you think that made me feel? To constantly wonder why he didn't want me, but it wasn't him. It was you keeping him away from me." His anger was starting to show in his voice.

Robert walked into the room and took in the scene. "What's going on here."

Kyle turned and narrowed his eyes at him. "Were you a part of this too? Did you help her hide the letters?"

Robert opened his mouth to speak, but Maryse beat him to it. "We were just doing what was best for you. Stephen being your father was a mistake."

He'd heard the story from Imogen, but hearing his mother say the words really hurt. "Are you saying that I'm a mistake? Well you're wrong, you're the one who made a mistake mom, it was your choice to go out and get drunk then have sex with a guy you barely knew. I'm sorry that I've been such an inconvenience. I get it, I wasn't even supposed to be born and that's why you treat me as if I weren't. I'm just living proof that you cheated on your husband seventeen years ago."

"Now that's enough." Robert said.

"This isn't about you." Kyle spat.

"Do not talk to your father that way!" Maryse yelled.

"He is not my father! My father has been unfairly kept from me for years!"

Maryse shook her head then sighed. "Let's go. We have work." She told Robert.

Kyle watched with anger as they both turned their back to him. That was what they always did. They always left. "Yeah, leave. Just like you always have!" He called after them. They said nothing then he heard the door shut. He picked up a glass from the table and chucked it at the wall across from him. It shattered to pieces, but it didn't make him feel any better and he still had to get to school.

He was already late, but he didn't care. All he could think about was the betrayal.

.o.O.o.

His anger got worse as the day went on. He wasn't able to focus on anything during his classes. Practice was cancelled because of the rain and he was just ready to go home. He was being an asshole all day and he could tell that Maya noticed something was wrong with him. It was written all over his face, but he couldn't talk to her. He didn't want her to see him like that. It wasn't right to ignore her, but it was the right thing to do. He needed time to cool down before he talked to anyone because there was no telling what would come out of his mouth.

It wasn't fair; none of it was. They had no right to do that to him. Alex and Max got to spend time with both of their parents, so why couldn't he? Who decided that that luxury would be taken away from him? How long were they planning on keeping it from him?

They couldn't force him to pretend that Robert was his father. He was never there for him. He would never be the father figure he wanted him to be. It was easier just to call him his dad, but he didn't deserve that title. Never did.

Kyle walked to his locker, just ready to leave already. He just wanted to shut himself in his room and be alone. When he shut his locker and turned back around, he saw some people he really didn't want to see.

Jack stood there, with Ash by his side. Chris and Mike stood on the other side of him. There were others but he didn't bother to learn their names. Kyle leaned against the locker and glanced down the hall then back at them.

"What the hell do you want?" He really had no time for this.

Jack smiled. "Just seeing how things with The Stiff are going. Is she putting out? Don't think we don't know about the two of you. At least now I know why you were so against me going out with her, it's because you wanted her all for yourself. Well let me just say this, you can have her."

Kyle rolled his eyes trying to keep his anger under control. "You say that as if you had a chance." He glanced at Ash then back to Jack. "So what, are you two together now? Not surprising."

Ash scoffed. "No, but a girl has needs and he's just fulfilling them for now."

"Because God knows you weren't." Jack said.

He really wasn't in the mood to chat anymore. "Whatever, enjoy whatever this is and do me a favor and leave me the hell alone."

He moved to walk past them, but Jack stood in front of him. He clenched his jaw and fists. Jack definitely did not want to pick a fight with him.

"You used to be someone you know, my best friend and you let a girl come between us. What happened to bros before hoes, dude?"

"Get the fuck out of my way before I do something I regret." Kyle said, his anger building by the second.

Jack stepped to the side. Kyle pushed past the people crowded around them, but he didn't get far because of what Jack said next.

"That's right, walk away. No one gives a shit about you anymore. You're just a jock with daddy issues."

That set Kyle off into a flurry of anger. He was back in front of Jack in less than a second, gripping his collar. He didn't think he would stoop that low. The crowd around them started chanting for them to fight, and he wanted nothing more than to do just that. Jack pushed him off of him, but that only drove Kyle to connect his fist with his jaw. He continued his assault and after a while he just felt numb, he wasn't even angry with Jack anymore. He was angry with his parents, himself, and just angry in general.

He didn't even notice when someone grabbed his arms to hold him back or when small hands gripped his face. All he saw was red, he was seething with anger. He was tumbling down a hole that he never wanted to be in ever again.

"Kyle. Kyle look at me. Please."

His eyes snapped into focus and he saw the scene he created. Jack's face was bruised and his nose was bleeding, a crowd of people surrounded them, but he couldn't register anything else when he heard her voice again.

"Please." She whispered.

He looked down to see Maya with her eyes squeezed shut. Her hands gripped his face and he realized what he was doing. He was scaring her, she'd never seen him like this and it was scaring the shit out of her. He wanted to slap himself for letting Jack get under his skin like that. His heart sank at the sight of her. Her hands trembled against his jaw and she still refused to look at him. He had heard the fear in her voice, and knowing that he put it there made him hate himself.

He pulled his hands free from whoever was holding them back and reached his hands up to cup her face to let her know that everything was going to be okay, and that he wasn't going to hurt her. She flinched when he touched her, but kept her eyes closed. He rested his forehead on hers and felt his chest tighten.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He whispered to her.

She slowly opened her eyes to look at him. "I know."

They were silent for a few moments. He used her to calm himself down. She still continued to touch him.

"What happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to think about that right now."

He saw the understanding in her eyes as she nodded. This was why he needed to be alone, she didn't need this. He didn't want to scare her anymore than he already had. She had places to be that weren't there tending to his internal wounds. He brushed his thumb along her cheekbone.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"You should get to the studio." He left a kiss on her forehead and dropped his hands from her face when he wanted nothing more than to pull her closer.

She furrowed her brows. "But—"

"It's okay. Go."

She looked conflicted, but did as he said and he had to try his hardest not to call her back. He needed to handle this on his own, or at least, that's what he thought.

.o.O.o.

Later that night, Kyle sat on the floor in his room playing his guitar. He put all of his emotions in every song he played. As soon as he had gotten home, he went into his room and locked himself in. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. So that brought him to where he was now. It was pointless to try and sleep, there were too many things on his mind. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. Were there more things being kept from him? How many lies were there?

There were more things that he needed to know, but that would involve him having to talk to Maryse and Robert and he wasn't in the mood. Alex probably had no idea what was going on, she probably thought that he was in another one of his moods. His sister didn't know anything, she was told the same lies he was.

His fingers still drummed the guitar and he was so distracted that he barely noticed his window opening. He didn't have to look up to know who it was. Her presence always warmed whatever space he was in. She shut the window, but he didn't hear her move. He continued to play, pouring his emotions out into the music. The pain, the anger, it all drifted away for just a moment and he was just himself for once.

After he ended the song, he hung his head and closed his eyes. The room was silent, but he could still feel her there. He was tired of dealing with these things alone. It never worked out for him. He was never able to resolve his issues on his own, it was too much. If only things had been different, he wouldn't be so messed up. Sometimes he wished he was like Alex or Max. That his parents loved him as much as he wanted them to. There was only one person that he knew who could really dull the ache inside of him, and she was standing right there. So he spoke the only truth he knew in that very moment, not caring how it would sound.

"I need you."

He heard her suck in a small breath, but then he heard footsteps coming towards him. She took the guitar from him and gently set it down beside them. "Okay." She said.

She took his hand and helped him up from his sitting position on the floor. He saw her turn off the light by the door and plunged them both into darkness, the moonlight being the only thing illuminating the room. She guided him over to his bed and laid down before pulling him down with her. Once he laid down, she buried her head into his chest and let him hold her, which was all he needed. All he needed was for her to be there. He brushed his lips on top of her head.

"Thank you."

She nuzzled herself deeper in his chest to get closer. "Together right?" She said.

He nodded. "Right."

After a minute, she removed her head from his chest so she could look at him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He closed his eyes. "Not really, but I think I should."

He laid on his back, pulling her with him. She moved his hair out of his eyes, making him open them to look at her.

"Let's start with what happened today to make you so upset."

He clenched his jaw at the memory, but stayed calm for her. She waited, not urging him to spit it out and he was grateful for that. He usually didn't talk about it, with anybody.

He played with her fingers that were laying on his chest as he spoke. "I found out that my parents were keeping something from me, for years."

She stayed quiet and let him continue, just letting him hold her to get through it. "It turns out that my father has been trying to contact me for years. He's been sending me letters every couple of months for I don't how long and my mother kept every single one of them from me."

She looked up at him. "So Robert's not your father?"

He shook his head. "Not my biological father."

"Do you wish that he was?" She asked.

He didn't really know. "In some ways I do. Maybe if I were his son, he would treat me like it. I was a mistake, I wasn't even supposed to be born. Maryse and Robert had a fight one night and Maryse left him. She ended up going to a bar, getting really drunk and sleeping with some guy there, my father." He fisted his hair and pulled slightly out of frustration. "You should see the way he looks at me sometimes, like he despises me. My mom can't even look at me sometimes. I guess I remind her too much of her mistake. I can't help but feel like I'm the reason why they're never home. And to make matters worse, I was told that my real father wanted nothing to do with me. So there I was, a person no one wanted. That was why I started acting out, it was a cry for help, but it didn't work. I'm just done now, they had their chance to be good parents, but they weren't and they're still together, but I don't think they'll ever be the same with me around. I just wish they told me about my dad, I could've written him back maybe even met him."

Maya sat up fully. "That's sick."

He sighed. "I know."

She turned back to him and he could see the blaze in her eyes. "Are they here right now?"

He nodded slightly, not knowing what she had in mind.

She huffed. "What do they think? That they can just do that and get away with it? I'll show them."

She got up from his bed and started towards the door. "I'll give them a piece of my mind. Who the hell do they think they are?"

His eyes widened and he was in front of her before she could open the door. He shook his head. "You don't have to do that. I don't want to get into that tonight."

She hugged him. "Okay, but say the words and I'll kick their ass."

That made him smile. "You've got yourself a deal, Angel."

She looked up at him. "Are you okay? I know that was a lot and I understand why you're upset."

He nodded. "I'm just glad that you're here."

She pulled him back to lay down. "I didn't want you to handle it alone even though that's what you said."

He nodded, but there was another thing that he needed to know. "Are you okay? I know that I was really angry earlier and I'm sorry if I...you know..."

She looked down. "I just saw you beating the shit out of Jack and I'd never seen you like that...ever, and the look in your eyes...I will admit that it scared me a little, but it's not your fault."

He knew he'd scared her, it was his fault. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Jack just hit a nerve and I lost control, but you need to know that I would never hurt you." He tipped her chin so she would look at him to see that he was telling the truth.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me, you're not them."

He felt his jaw clench. "Did they—" he closed his eyes. "Did they hurt you?"

She sucked in a breath and buried her head back into his chest. Just when he thought she would cry she spoke.

"Not at first." She whispered. "Not physically."

He didn't speak, just held her tighter.

She sighed. "You asked me a while ago why I felt so insecure." She paused and choked out her next words. "Well, after being told almost every day that you're a piece of shit, you start to believe it. I just thought that I was this disgusting piece of trash that no one wanted because that's what I was told. Even now I don't see myself as beautiful because of what they did. You tell me that I am and it makes me think that maybe they were wrong, but I wouldn't know." She was trembling slightly, the conversation obviously bringing back memories she didn't want to think about.

He wrapped her up in his arms. "You didn't deserve any of that. I wish I could go back and change things and I wish I could've been there to protect you. When I tell you you're beautiful, I mean it, and I need you to know that. They were wrong, so wrong."

She looked up at him, her hand on his cheek. "Really?"

He mimicked her and cupped her face. "Really. Of course you're beautiful, but my feelings for you are beyond that."

She smiled. "Mine too."

They stared at each other, taking in each other's presence. With her being there, he was able to focus on her and not his issues. He didn't want to think about his parents or his situation, just her. He leaned in a little closer to her and glanced down at her perfect lips. When he looked back at her, he asked for permission with his eyes. She nodded slightly and licked her lips.

Their kisses had always been cut short, but now it was just them. So he leaned into her and kissed her the way he'd wanted to all week. She immediately opened to him and kissed him back. He'd missed the taste of her, the intoxicating feeling he got when they were connected like this. Her fingers left his face and trailed along his chest. His skin burned where she touched him. He didn't want her to stop. One of his hands slid down to brush the skin of her collar bone. She shivered and fisted his shirt in her hands. His hand trailed lower and gripped her waist. Their lips continued to move together and he felt his head start to spin. He kissed her like she was air and he couldn't breathe. All he felt was her, she was all around him.

He shifted them so that she was on her back, him hovering over her. They broke away for air and her eyes widened at the sight of him above her. He was about to apologize when she reached up and pulled him back down onto her, their lips crashing back together. He supported his weight with his elbows, but she had different ideas and he definitely was not going to argue.

She pulled him harder onto her and her fingers splayed across his back, gripping the fabric that was there. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips. They pulled away for another breath and his lips immediately went to her neck. She gasped then her hands were in his hair, holding him in place. He wanted to learn where her sensitive spots were, he wanted to know everything about her. His lips continued to move down her neck until he was at her collar bone. He swiped his tongue along her skin and was pleased when she let a small moan escape her lips. The sound was like music to his ears. She guided his lips back to hers and he let her kiss him.

He slowed the kiss down after a moment because he didn't want to go too far with her. He didn't want their relationship to get too physical too early. Neither of them were ready for that and that was okay. She looked up at him and ran her fingers along his face. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. "Could you stay with me?" He whispered.

She made him look at her. "Of course." She kissed his cheek.

He let out a relieved breath and laid back down. She let him scoop her up in his arms with her back against his chest. He knew then that it would be stupid of him to ever let this girl go. She rested her hand on his arm and his eyes slipped closed. With his Angel wrapped up in his arms, he was finally able to sleep. Forget his parents, he had her.

* * *

AN: Have a wonderful day loves ️

~A


	27. Change

Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Gold by Imagine Dragons (Maya dancing)_

 _**Landslide by Oh Wonder (Alex & Maya)_

* * *

Kyle woke up the next morning feeling content. The sun was shining way too bright, but he didn't care. It was definitely not how he usually woke up in the morning. He expected to still be angry, but he wasn't. He actually felt kind of good. His day couldn't have started out any worse, but it ended pretty well. Spending time with Maya always made him feel better. Their relationship was growing quickly, and he liked how things were.

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. When he looked to his side, he only saw white sheets where she used to be. He knew she couldn't stay all morning, she had to get ready for school just like him.

Something caught his eye on his pillow. He picked up the piece of paper that had his name neatly scrawled on the front and read what was written inside:

 _So it's 6 am and you're still sleeping. *cough* *cough* loser. I'm just joking, it's really early and I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I didn't just want to leave you with nothing. I hope you slept well, considering I have no idea whether I snore or not. Anyway... I know yesterday sucked (and I'm still waiting for my cue to kick your parents asses) , but I wanted you to at least wake up with a smile on your face. Did it work? Wow this is getting long, we'll talk at school. Chat at cha later, Goldie._

 _~Maya_

 _P.S.- I practically froze my ass off trying to get back to my room so I borrowed one of your jackets. I'll give it back to you...maybe, it is quite comfortable._

Kyle chuckled then put the paper on his dresser. His girlfriend was definitely weird, but he wouldn't want her any other way. She was being herself and he liked that. He wasn't too happy to go to school today, but now he was perfectly fine with going, so he got himself out of bed to get ready.

.o.O.o.

Kyle got to school a little later than he usually did. He usually got there pretty early, but class was going to start in about five minutes. It wasn't like he needed the extra time anyway.

He was walking through the parking lot when he heard music playing from someone's car. There was a small crowd around the car so he went to go check it out. What he didn't expect to see was Maya in the middle of the crowd, dancing.

He smiled and watched her. Her eyes met his and she smiled at him. She was wearing his navy blue hoodie, a black shirt and leggings, white converses, and her gray beanie. Even when she wasn't trying, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He really liked watching her dance because he didn't know anyone who could dance like her and a smile seemed to always be on her face whenever she did.

A guy walked up to her just before the next verse of the song started, obviously challenging her. She looked like she accepted the challenge and allowed him to do his thing by taking a step back. It was nothing serious, everyone was just having some fun before school. The guy danced pretty well, they had similar styles. She looked to him and he gave her an A-ok with his fingers. She mimicked him then turned back to the guy and waited for him to finish. The crowd was getting more hype by the second.

Maya smiled when it was her turn. The way she moved was sure and confident. Dancing was definitely something that she was good at and she proved it then. It was obvious who won the short battle when they were done. She still gave the guy a high five as more people moved to the center to dance. He saw her walking towards him with a smile still plastered on her face. Once she got to him, she let out a breath.

"Wow, that was exciting."

He tugged her beanie back down onto her head. "You looked great."

She shrugged. "I was just messing around. Did you get my note?"

He nodded. "Yeah I did. Thanks for that by the way, it put me in a good mood."

She smiled. "Good. I was hoping it would."

She looked like she remembered something and shrugged off his hoodie. "I promised I would give this back."

He shook his head and gently pushed the hoodie back towards her. "Nah, it looks way better on you."

Even though the hoodie was a little too big on her, the thought of her wearing something of his was enough to let her keep it. There was no problem; absolutely no problem at all. She shrugged then put it back on.

"If you say so, Goldie."

The bell rang and the person shut off their car. Everyone started making their way towards the school building. Maya went to go grab her book bag and helmet.

"Shall we?"

He took her helmet from her and slung his arm around her shoulder. She smiled at the gesture and wrapped her arm around him.

Once they got to her locker, he handed her her helmet. While she was putting it inside, he remembered that he had something for her. He'd almost forgotten about it.

"Oh yeah, I brought you something."

She furrowed her brows. "Really?"

He nodded and went into his book bag to get the paper bag. He handed the bag to her and saw curiosity etched on her face. When she looked inside, her eyes glazed over and she smiled. She looked at him with pure amazement. Inside the paper bag was a cinnamon roll that he got on the way to school, but by the way she looked at him, he would've thought that a thousand dollars was in the bag. She jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Thank you."

He laughed. "Anytime, Angel." He swiped his thumb across her cheek and looked at her. "Just wanted to say thanks for coming over yesterday."

She shook her head. "You don't have to thank me for that."

He smirked. "Does that mean I can have the cinnamon roll?" He pretended to reach for the bag.

She smacked his hand away. "No way! This one's mine."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Come on. We're going to be late."

He walked with her to art class, then took his seat right before the bell rang. He imagined that Jack wasn't at school, considering how he looked yesterday. He felt a little bad for doing what he did to him, but not enough to apologize. Besides, he was in a good mood today.

Jon took his seat next to him and sat back. Kyle tried really hard to stop smiling, but he couldn't and he knew Jon would notice. As if he read his mind, Jon looked at him then to Maya.

"So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that things are going well between you two."

Kyle turned to him. "How'd you guess?"

Jon chuckled. "How about the fact that you haven't stopped smiling since you got here and I know my sister. She's acting different, but in a good way. She smiles more."

Kyle looked at him. "She does?"

He nodded, looking at his sister. "Yeah. It's nice." He patted him on the back. "Keep it up."

Kyle ran his hand through his hair. "I'll try and do that."

He watched as Maya talked to Alex and Stephanie. She was laughing with them about something when Alex felt the fabric of the hoodie then asked her something, but he couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. Maya glanced at him before blushing and nodding. Alex looked back at him and raised a brow then she whipped her head back around. He had no idea what that was all about, but he would ask later. Maya nuzzled herself deeper into his hoodie and smiled to herself. He noticed the action and grinned before returning his attention to the teacher.

.o.O.o.

Maya was laying down on her bad when her phone rang. She had just gotten home from the studio and just wanted to relax. On the third buzz, she grabbed her phone to see who it was. She furrowed her brows when she saw who was calling.

 _Alex_

Maya didn't think Alex ever called her, only texted. She quickly answered the phone. If Alex was calling, it must not have been something good.

"Hello?"

She heard Alex sniff on the other line. " _Hey_." Her voice was hoarse, from crying Maya assumed.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Maya sat up from her bed.

" _I...um...can you come over?_ "

Maya nodded, then mentally slapped herself. "Uh—yeah, I'll be there in two."

" _Okay_." Then she hung up.

Maya's eyes widened. That sounded nothing like the Alex she knew. She was always so euphoric and cheery. Even earlier that day she seemed pretty much in good spirits. It was like she did a complete one-eighty in a mere two hours.

Maya was out of the house and knocking on Alex's door minutes later. The door opened and Maryse stood on the other side of the threshold. Maya immediately tensed at the sight of her. She'd seen the pain in Kyle's eyes and knowing that the person who put it there was just a few feet away...

"Hello Maya." Maryse said.

How could she just stand there looking perfectly unfazed when her son was obviously hurting? She'd promised Kyle that she wouldn't say anything so she feigned a smile that she had to force onto her face.

"Hello Maryse." She forced herself to say.

"Here to see Alex?"

Maya simply nodded.

"Alright. She's in her room."

Maryse moved to the side and invited her in. She mumbled a quick thank you before going up the stairs, holding in the words she really wanted to say. When she got to Alex's room, she opened the door and saw Alex sitting on her bed with her legs pulled up to her chest. Her head rested on her knees and her arms were wrapped around herself.

Maya walked up to her and sat down. She had no idea what was wrong but she hoped that it wasn't too bad.

"Alex?"

Alex picked her head up and hugged her. Maya sighed.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"There's something I need to tell you." She picked her head up and wiped her face. "You're like my best friend and right now I need a friend to talk to."

"What is it?"

Alex took one of her pillows and hugged it to herself. "I've been lying to everyone, myself too."

Maya turned to Alex. "You can tell me, whatever it is."

Alex took a deep breath and whispered her next words. "I'm not attracted to guys." She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Are you saying that you're attracted to girls?"

Alex opened her eyes. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Have you told anyone else?" Maya asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm scared to. You don't know my mom, she likes things to be traditional. Whenever we hang out, she asks me when I'm going to bring a guy home for her to meet. I want to tell her never, but I can't. She won't except it."

That was another reason for Maya not to like Maryse. "Well I have your back and I want you to be happy."

Alex smiled. "Thanks. It feels good to tell someone."

Maya hugged her. "Coming out is really hard for most people. Sometimes just having a few people know makes all the difference."

"You think I should tell more people?" Alex asked.

Maya nodded. "Yeah. If you want."

"But I don't want them to judge me or treat me differently."

Maya knew one person that wouldn't judge her. "Why don't you tell your brother."

Alex laughed. "My brother?! He would definitely make fun of me."

Maya shook her head. "No he won't and if he does I'll punch him in the face."

"Well he does like his face." Alex smiled. "Okay, I'll do it, but could you go get him?"

"Of course." Maya nodded. "Be right back."

Maya hurried across the hall to Kyle's room. She knocked on the door then heard him ask who it was. After she told him, the door open in less than a second. He smiled as soon as he saw her and leaned on his door frame. "What brings you here, Angel."

She grabbed his hand and started pulling him to Alex's room. "Alex needs to tell you something and please don't take it as a joke. This has been really hard for her."

He furrowed his brows. "What has?"

"You'll find out." She pulled him into Alex's room before he could say anything else.

Alex still had a pillow hugged to herself when they entered the room. Maya sat back down on the bad and Kyle followed, looking confused as hell. Alex noticed them and started biting her nails.

"Okay. Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Kyle said.

Alex put the pillow down and moved all of the hair out of her face. Maya nodded when Alex looked to her. She let out a breath and Maya saw confidence etched on her face.

"I'm tired of pretending." She said and Maya nodded for her to continue. She turned her attention back to her brother. "I like girls and I'm not going to hide it anymore."

Kyle simply nodded. "Okay."

Alex's eyebrows rose. "Okay?"

He shrugged. "If that's what you like then go for it. I have no problem with it; you're still just Alex to me."

Alex looked absolutely speechless. Maya smiled at the two. She somehow knew that he would take it well.

Kyle smiled. "Don't be so shocked."

"I'm not—it's just—thank you." She smiled.

Kyle gave her a hug. "No problem."

Alex looked like she wasn't expecting the hug. Kyle tried to recover and cleared his throat. "Good talk."

Maya stood up from the bed. "Great. Now get out." She gave Kyle a shove towards the door.

He complied, but turned back to Alex. "But just so we're clear." He put his arm around Maya and smiled. "This one's mine."

Alex flipped him off. "She's my best friend asshole."

Maya laughed and Kyle grinned. "Fine."

He turned to look down at Maya. A grin was still on his face, but for some reason she knew that it wasn't because of Alex anymore. She was in the middle of throwing him out, but him looking at her made her forget what she was doing. His hand went to the back of her neck and he slowly brought his lips to her temple. His lips lingered there as he spoke.

"I'll talk to you later, Angel."

Not being able to find her voice with him so close, she nodded. His grin turned into a smirk then he backed away, out of the room. The door closed after him then Maya took a breath and turned back to Alex.

"What the hell did you do to my brother?" Alex asked in disbelief.

Maya smiled. "I'm not really sure."

"He's like . . . happy. He was never genuinely happy. Not until you came around."

Maya saw the look on Alex's face and knew that she missed her brother.

"He hasn't been like this since we were kids." Alex stood from her bed to give Maya a hug. "Thank you for bringing my brother back."

Maya hugged her back. "You're welcome . . . I guess." She didn't think she was really doing anything, but she had noticed the change in his attitude. He was definitely not the same person that he was when she first met him.

They sat back down on Alex's bed. Maya smiled. "So, is there anybody that you're interested in?"

She saw Alex blush for the first time since she'd met her. "Maybe..."

"Oh my God, tell me who!"

Alex looked away from her. "Her name's Aline. She's a junior at our school."

Maya had seen her before, just never spoke to her. From the looks of it, she was pretty shy. "I think I've seen her around."

"Yeah. She used to be really popular until she came out last year. I saw how the people at school treated her so I didn't dare say anything to anyone. I kept it to myself, not giving any hints that I liked girls. So I went along with all the other girls, talking about the kinds of guys they liked, but that wasn't who I was. I'd lost most of my friends because after a while I stopped hanging out with them." She sighed. "I've had a crush on Aline for a while. She's really nice and really pretty. We talk from time to time, but I wish we could talk more."

"You could ask her out." Maya suggested.

Alex's eyes widened and Maya shook her head.

"Not ask her to be your girlfriend or anything, just ask her if she wants to hang out sometime. Get to know her."

Alex nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, but what if she says no?"

"What if she says yes? You'll never know unless you ask." Maya said.

"Okay." She let out a breath. "I'll try it."

Maya smiled. "And if you need any help, I'll be there. You can tell me anything."

"You're the best."

"No you're the best."

"No you are."

"No you are."

They both laughed and Alex gave her another hug. "What would my brother and I do without you?"

She smiled. "More like what would I do without you."

She used to think that she meant nothing. That no one cared about her. Now she had a family, friends, and a _boyfriend._ Things were finally looking better for her _._

 _"_ So you and my brother huh? How's that going?" Alex tugged on the fabric of the hoodie Maya was wearing.

Maya blushed. "It's going great actually."

"Well he sure as hell never let anyone wear his clothes. Do you know how organized he is? He wants everything to be where he put it all the time. I'm surprised he let you keep it. He must really like you." Alex looked kind of shocked.

"I hope he does. He means a lot to me." She said.

Alex smiled. "I think you mean a lot to him too. I've never seem him act this way around anyone. He sees something in you that he hasn't seen in anyone he's 'dated' before and I think it's great."

Maya smiled. "Me too."

"Do you think I should try talking to him?" Alex asked.

The question caught Maya off guard. "Um . . . About what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like we're not as close as we used to be. I've noticed how mom and dad have been treating him. They think I don't, but I do. I know he's only my half brother, but that shouldn't matter. He's still my brother and I love him no matter what. I actually look up to him a lot more than my parents. They haven't always been there for us, but he has."

Maya's eyes widened. "Does he know you feel that way?"

Alex shook her head. "We don't really talk so I don't think so."

Maya didn't hesitate. "Then you should definitely talk to him."

"Okay."

That's when Alex got up to leave the room.


	28. Video Games

1,000 views! This is seriously the best thing ever. Thank you to everyone that reads my story. You guys deserve endless hugs :) Anyways . . . here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Video Games by Lana Del Rey_

 _**Beach by Still Parade_

 _**Hide & Seek by Amber Run_

* * *

"This could change our relationship." Maya said.

Kyle nodded. "It could."

"Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes."

Maya let out a breath. "Then put it in already."

Kyle smiled and bumped her nose. "So impatient."

He reached over to grab the video game off of his dresser and put it into the game console. Maya smiled as he handed her a controller. "You are so going to lose."

The intro for _Mario Kart_ began on his tv screen.

He grabbed a controller for himself and sat back down with her. They were both taking advantage of their free time together to play video games. As ludicrous as it sounded, he wouldn't have wanted to be doing anything else at that moment. He'd never played video games with his past girlfriends or any girl for that matter. They were never interested in what he liked to do, it was all about them. He was just there for show. But he didn't want to think about that, he had Maya and nothing was a show with her. She liked him for him and that was it.

They sat on the floor at the end of his bed, with him leaning against it and her leaning against his chest. His arms were around her, holding his controller. He almost felt like a child again, playing _Mario Kart_ on an old Nintendo GameCube. A small smile crept onto his face.

"Is that so, Angel?"

She leaned further back into him and nodded. "Definitely."

They both picked their characters, her choosing _Luigi_ and him _Waluigi_. She laughed and he raised a brow.

"What?"

She shook her head. "This is like the project all over again. First your favorite color is the complete opposite of mine and now you choose the complete opposite of my character. I just think that's ironic."

He smiled. "Black isn't my favorite color anymore."

She looked at him. "Then what is?"

He swiped his thumb under her eye and grinned. "Gray."

A blush slowly pooled into her cheeks as she whipped her head back around. "You can't say that now, you'll distract me."

"I can't help it." He wrapped his arms back around her. "Okay where do you want to go?"

"Uhh, _Luigi Raceway_."

He chuckled. "Do you have some sick _Luigi_ fetish or something?"

She reached back and slapped him on the head. "A _Luigi_ fetish?!" She laughed. "Yes Goldie, I have a secret stash of _Luigi_ pictures hidden under my bed that I look at every night before I go to bed. My secret is out."

That was another thing he liked about her. She could keep up with his sarcasm and humor, there weren't too many people that could do that.

"So you would leave me for him?" He said.

She nodded and laughed. "Absolutely."

He smirked. "But I bet he can't do this," he tipped her head towards him and planted a kiss to one corner of her mouth. "Or this," the other corner. "And especially this," he pressed his lips to hers and took her bottom lip between his. When he pulled away, she smiled.

"No, I guess not."

He kissed her cheek. "Glad we cleared that up."

He picked the course that she wanted. "Ready?"

She leaned back against him and nodded. "Yup."

After taking time to load, the starter screen for the race splayed across the screen. They both got their controllers ready and looked at the screen as it counted down.

 _Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Go!_

The characters on the screen all took off.

.o.O.o.

Maya tried really hard to focus on the game in front of her, but with Kyle's arms wrapped around her and his hard chest pressed up against her back, it was next to impossible. Her feelings for him were growing fast. _Really_ fast. She'd never felt that way about anyone and it was obviously that he hadn't either.

She was beginning to think that he was it for her. If something were to happen to make them end things, she didn't think she would be able to move on to anyone else. Even if some other guy would be interested in her, they would never compare to him. He gave her goosebumps. He made her laugh, blush, and smile a lot more. Whenever he was around she just felt so much better.

He told her before that he needed her, but in reality she needed him. She had always been so independent, not wanting to depend on anyone for anything, but things have changed. Being able to see him, talk to him, and kiss him was the highlight of her day. She didn't know if she could go back to the way it was, when she was just surviving each day, still haunted by her past. He was able to take her mind off of her past when she didn't want to think about it. And when she wanted to talk, he was all ears. It was like he knew exactly what she needed.

Her mind snapped back into focus on the game to see that she was almost in the lead. Kyle's character was in front of her, with two more laps to go. The game was so simple, but it could seriously do some damage. This game caused breakups, arguments, fights, and a lot more things. She knew that a stupid video game couldn't get in the way of what her and Kyle had. That gave her the freedom to do anything.

In order to gain some distance, she reached her hand up to block his view of the screen. He chuckled and moved his head to the side. "So we're playing dirty now?"

She shook her head. "Of course not—"

But it was already too late. His hand left his own controller and moved to hers where he moved a button, making her character hit a wall. Her mouth dropped open as he laughed.

"Hey!"

She could almost feel him smiling. " _Mario Kart_ is a dangerous game, Angel."

She removed herself from the wall and got back on course. He was still in front of her, winning the race. There were still two laps left. She was able to pass others, working her way to third place. Then she was hit from behind by a red shell. She cursed under her breath and Kyle chuckled again.

Just to shut him up and hopefully distract him, she rolled her hips slightly from where she was sitting. He stopped laughing.

"Angel?"

"Hmmm." She did it again.

He groaned and tightened his arms around her to keep her still.

"Angel." He said into her ear, his voice low.

She rubbed her leg against his. "What?" She said innocently.

They crossed the checkered finish line to begin their final lap. She felt his breath tingling the hairs at the back of her ear. His lips brushed her ear as he spoke. "Two can play at that game, Angel."

Before she could do anything to stop him, his lips were on her neck leaving behind small wet kisses. She gasped and the feeling made her drop her controller. He smiled on her skin and moved her hair to one side, kissing the back of her neck. Her eyes slipped closed and her breathing increased. She couldn't help but shift herself again. He dropped his controller also and his hands moved to her hips. His lips continued to move across her neck.

After a minute, she couldn't take it anymore and moved both controllers out of the way. She twisted herself to face him, straddling his lap. His grip tightened on her waist and they didn't skip a beat before bringing their lips together. The game was completely forgotten about when their lips met. It was clear they both lost, but neither of them cared.

Ever since that night when he told her about his parents, they haven't been able to keep their hands off of each other. It was like something sparked in their relationship where one constantly wanted to show how much the other meant to them.

She reached up to hold his face in her hands. He pulled her closer to him and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Her mind was a jumble and she couldn't focus on anything else but him. It was definitely not how this day was supposed to turn out. They were just supposed to spend the day playing a simple game. Ditching the game to cling to each other was definitely not the plan.

After a moment, Maya pulled away and gasped for air. His eyes opened to look at her. He didn't say anything, just watched her. She tucked some hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"Sorry."

He smiled and continued to place kisses along her jaw. "Sorry about what?"

She closed her eyes. "About the . . ."

He picked his head up and leaned his forehead against hers. "You mean the world to me, Angel."

She gasped, not expecting him to say anything like that. Just minutes before they were playing a video game, now he was telling her things that made her heart skip a beat. Literally.

"I do?"

He nodded. "Of course. You're one of the only people that I can be myself around. I've lost a lot over the past couple of months, but not you. You stayed and that means the world to me. _You_ mean the world to me."

She smiled. "I stayed because you were worth staying for. We've both been through so much and we deserve to be happy."

He kissed her lips again and grinned. "Damn right we do." He looked at her for a moment. She moved some hair out of his eyes and looked back.

"Let's do something." He said.

She raised a brow. "I thought we were doing something."

His eyes drifted to their controllers that were disregarded a while ago. When he looked back to her, he smirked. "I think it's clear that we both lost." He took one of her curls between his fingers. "Let's take a walk. I want to show you something."

She smiled. "Okay."

He stood up with her still sitting in his lap. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He chuckled and set her down.

After turning off the tv, he took her hand and led her out of the room. She usually wasn't into surprises, but she trusted him completely. It was nice to trust someone for a change. There used to be only two people that she trusted, her mom and Jon. Now she trusted Kyle just as much. He silently led her to the front door, onto the driveway, and down the road. It was surprisingly a pretty quiet neighborhood.

"So is this where you take all of your conquests?" She asked jokingly as they walked.

He chuckled. "No, Angel. I've never taken anyone here."

That sparked her curiosity. "Seriously? Not one?"

"It was one of my secret spots. I went there to get away from everyone and anything. Haven't been there in a while though."

She didn't know he was taking her somewhere that held this much importance to him. It was obviously a sacred place for him if he never brought anyone. She almost felt like she didn't deserve to see it, but he thought differently and she wasn't going to question his intentions.

After taking some shortcuts and walking down different pathways, he stopped them from walking. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Okay. You have to close your eyes."

She raised a brow and he nodded.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

To show him just how much she did, she covered her eyes with both hands. His arm snaked around her waist as he continued to walk.

"No peeking." He whispered into her ear. She shivered then nodded slightly.

They walked a little longer, her still keeping her eyes closed. He slowly stopped walking and his arm left her waist.

"Okay, open your eyes."

She dropped her hands from her eyes and looked up at him in front of her. He moved to the side to stand by her and give her a full view of what was in front of her.

It was a large field covered in tall grass and a variety of beautiful flowers. The sun was just starting to set and the wind was blowing softly around them. It was like heaven was in front of her. She'd never seen a scene so perfect. A huge smile appeared on her face. She understood why he would want to come here to get away. It was the perfect place; quiet, beautiful, and just downright peaceful. She was in complete awe.

"Welcome to my hideaway." He put his arm over her shoulder.

She looked at him. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

His hands went up to her face and a small grin tugged at his lips. "I can think of one thing that's way more beautiful."

She blushed. "I just walked right into that one didn't I?"

He nodded. "I'm going to tell you how beautiful you are every chance I get, whether you like it or not."

She smiled. "And I'll try not to blush like an idiot every time you tell me."

"What fun would that be?" He swiped his thumb along her cheek.

"You just love making me blush don't you?"

He kissed her forehead. "Very much."

She crinkled her nose then laughed at herself. He shook his head and guided her towards the middle of the field. She sat down with him and looked up at the sky. The sun had a certain glow that made the flowers stick out. She felt like she was in some cliché movie scene, but it was a good cliché. When she looked back to Kyle, she saw that he was already looking at her. His eyes raked across her in appreciation.

She raised a brow. "What?"

He leaned back on his hands, still looking at her. "This reminds me of a dream a had a while ago." He looked around a little. "We were in a field and now that I think about it, we were in this field."

She smiled. "Is this the same dream I was wearing a _dress_ in?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that was like a dead giveaway that it was dream."

She looked at him. "Would you like to see me in a dress?"

"It doesn't matter what you wear. Clothing will not change the way I feel about you."

She leaned over to kiss him. "Good answer."

She sat back down and he laid his head in her lap then looked up at her. She smiled as he took some of her hair between his fingers. He curled the strands around his fingers and smiled to himself. She watched him closely.

"So how did you find this place?"

He chuckled. "A couple years ago, I was just tired of being left alone when everyone else was out doing whatever. I had to be at most fourteen and called myself running away. So I packed a bag with clothes, snacks, all the cash I had, and took off. It was stupid, but I was just really angry then. I didn't get far. After a while I just started walking and walking, not really knowing where I was going then I stumbled upon this place. It was nice and quiet so I decided that I would just come here whenever things got bad. They wouldn't notice that I was gone so it wasn't a problem."

"Well I think you found the jackpot in hideaways. This kind of place would have definitely come in handy back then. And I don't think it was stupid of you to try and run away. You definitely had a pretty good reason to."

"I think that sometimes too, like if I never tried I wouldn't have found this place. And I know you couldn't have this hideaway back then, but you can now."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

He smiled up at her. "I mean whenever you want to get away, I'll take you here. It could be our hideaway. A place just for us."

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She bit back her smile.

"I like the sound of that. Just us."

"Just us, Angel."

She let herself smile this time. "Deal."

.o.O.o.

They were lying on their backs looking up at the night sky. Kyle didn't know where the time went, but they weren't in a rush to get back. The stars were pretty visible from where they were.

The field had always been a place where he went to be alone. He never thought to share it with anybody until now. She was special to him and he wanted to show her just how much. He was falling for her, that was for sure. There was no point trying to deny it. He didn't know if they were there yet or if they were even ready for it. He never told a girl that he loved them before, his feelings were never that strong.

But he felt something with Maya, something that could probably lead to him feeling that way. He wanted her to be the first girl he told that to, there was no doubt in that. He didn't want anything with her to be temporary, he wanted them to last. She was his and he was hers, that's how he wanted things to be. For as long as they could. He meant it when he said she meant the world to him. In some ways, she was all he had. His parents now refused to look at him out of guilt, his so called friends abandoned him, but she stayed. She said that he was worth it. That made him realize that he didn't need anyone else. Of course he still cared about his brother and sister, and of course, Imogen.

Alex had come to him a while ago to tell him that she knew what was going on. That she noticed how their parents treated him. She also told him that she looked up to him and thanked him for looking out for her while their parents left. It was a shock to here that coming from her. She even told him that he was more of a man than their father.

He knew why his parents didn't want to be around him, but they ended up leaving Alex in the process. Sometimes he forgot that Alex had to deal with only seeing their parents and Max a few times a week too. They both didn't deserve that, it wasn't their fault. None of this was.

Him and Alex have gotten closer since then. They actually talk to each other now. He'd thanked Maya plenty of times for helping them to repair their relationship, but she still didn't think that she did anything. She just didn't understand how much she impacted people's lives in such a positive way. He knew she was still having trouble accepting herself, but he was slowly squashing her insecurities day by day and he wasn't going to stop until she felt completely free.

When he looked over at her, he saw that her eyes were closed. She was slowly drifting off and he knew that he had to get her back. So he got himself up and lifted her up into his arms. He began walking back towards their houses. Her arms went around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder.

After a while, he was able to see their houses down the street.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked.

He smiled. "You know you're welcome to my bed whenever you want. Besides I kinda like you sleeping in my bed. No weirdness intended."

She laughed. "None taken."

He walked up to his front door and got the keys out of his front pocket. There was no way of guessing who was inside. His parents never really told them when they were coming so he opened the door as quietly as he could. He used his foot to close the door behind him and walked up the stairs to his room. After making it inside, he closed and locked the door to his room.

When he walked over to his bed, he set Maya down and quickly went to his closet to put on some sweatpants. He returned to his bed and wrapped his arm around her. She sighed blissfully and tucked herself into his chest. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes.

"Night, Angel."

"Night, Goldie."

There was no denying it. He was definitely falling for her.


	29. Vendetta

AN: Wow this story is getting long. There are still a lot more chapters . . . so sorry if you're a short story kind of person. Anyway, enjoy this nice little chapter.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Fire N Gold by Bea Miller (Alex & Maya)_

 _**Caves by Haux (Kyle & Maya)_

 _** FU by Miley Cyrus ft. French Montana (Ash & Maya)_

* * *

"This just won't do. It won't do at all."

Alex huffed and returned to her closet to try on yet another outfit. Maya sighed and fell back on Alex's bed in exhaustion.

"Alex, every single thing you put on looks great. Just pick one."

Alex was going out with Aline today and to say that she was nervous was an understatement. She'd tried on at least five outfits already and apparently hated them. Maya didn't see the problem with any of them, but what did she know about fashion?

A couple minutes later, Alex walked out of her closet with a new outfit on and looked at it in the mirror.

"Hmmm." Alex said, twisting and turning in the mirror.

Maya sat up and hoped to God that she liked that one. It was nice, but so were the previous five.

"So?" Maya asked.

Alex smiled. "I like it."

"And I'm sure Aline will too."

She was wearing a ruffled off white sleeveless blouse, black skinny jeans, black vans and her hair was pulled back into a tight low bun. She also spent about an hour doing her makeup. Maya had never seen her spend so much time on herself. She must _really_ like Aline.

It was nice of her to go out and do her thing despite what her parents thought. She didn't need anyone's approval to be herself. Her parent's opinion shouldn't have mattered when it came to these things. She knew who she was and that was that. And forget anyone else who had a problem with it.

"You think so?" Alex asked.

Maya nodded. "Definitely."

She smiled and clapped her hands together. "That's a relief." She let out a breath. "I'm literally freaking out. This is my first date with a girl."

Maya laughed. "Calm down Alex. Just go out and have fun. Don't even think of it as a date, just think of it as hanging out."

"Yeah—pfft. Just . . . you know, hanging out." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Maya smiled. "There you go. So, where are you guys meeting?"

Alex sat down at her desk. "There's this trail not too far from here that leads to this really pretty lake. So we're just going to walk and talk."

"Ooh, romantic." Maya waggled her brows.

Alex laughed. "Oh my God. You're doing this to get back at me aren't you?"

"Definitely."

Alex checked her phone and shot up. "Holy shit! It's almost five. Where did all the time go?" She grabbed her purse and keys.

"I have no idea." Maya said sarcastically.

Alex playfully glared at her. "Come on."

Maya removed herself from her bed. "I gotta get home anyway."

Once outside, Maya gave Alex a hug. "Good luck, chica."

"Thanks. You're the best." She fixed herself a little.

Maya looked at her. "Okay, now go!"

"Right." Alex laughed and ran to her car. Maya laughed at her and jogged to her house.

She had a good feeling about their date.

.o.O.o.

"So, Maryse and Robert invited us over for dinner tomorrow." Jocelyn said.

Maya grimaced and looked up from her dinner. "Oh goodie."

Jocelyn sighed. "I know you don't like them, but try to deal with it for just a few hours. Besides, I want to meet the parents of my daughter's boyfriend."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, and then you'll see why I don't like them."

Jon furrowed his brows. "Why don't you like them?"

Maya could think of many reasons. "Because—excuse my language mom—they're shit parents. You guys know how much family means to me and to see them literally throw theirs away out of selfishness is sick."

"We only have to go the once. And if you don't like them, chances are we won't either. So let's just get it over with and be polite." Jocelyn said.

Maya smiled. "Good thing I'm a great actress."

"Thank you, sweetie. That goes for you too." She pointed to Jon.

He put a hand to his chest. "I'm always polite mom, you know this."

Jocelyn laughed. "That's a good one."

"Have a little faith."

Maya snorted. "When pigs fly." She muttered.

Jon glared at her. "I heard that."

"I heard that." She mocked.

Jocelyn shook her head. "I thought it would get better as you guys got older, but no, it got worse."

Maya laughed. "Love you too mom."

Jocelyn looked at both of them.

"Of course you do."

.o.O.o.

The next morning, Maya rode her motorcycle to school. She was still thinking about the dinner with Kyle's parents. It was a mystery as to why they all of a sudden wanted to have dinner with them. They've been living there for months and it was like they were just noticing. She could barely spend five minutes with Maryse. How could she sit there for an entire dinner, knowing what they've done?

As she pulled into the parking lot, she saw a very familiar set of blonde curls. A small smile appeared on her face as she got closer. Kyle was leaning against his car with his hands in his pockets, looking in her direction. She kept her motorcycle running until she was right in front of him. He smiled and pushed himself off of his car as she removed her helmet.

"Hey, Angel." He took her helmet from her and let her get off.

She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him. "Hey."

He put his arm around her shoulders and began walking with her towards the school. She looked up at him.

"So, I'm coming over for dinner tonight. Your parents invited us."

He raised a brow. "They did?"

She sighed. "They didn't tell you, did they?"

"Me and my parents aren't exactly on good terms."

She nodded in understanding. "Well my mom already agreed to it, so we'll be there."

Once they got to her locker, she put her helmet inside and turned to him. He was looking down at his shoes. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he was nervous. She nudged his shoulder a little.

"What's up?" She asked.

He smiled. "I got a call earlier." He ran a hand through his hair. "There's a scout coming from NYU to check me out this Friday. It's kind of a big deal for me, but I don't know." He shrugged.

Maya smiled. "Really? That's great."

He looked at her. "You think so?"

She saw a certain vulnerability in his eyes. She could see the little kid in him that just wanted someone to be proud of him. For _someone_ to notice him. His parents may not have acknowledged how great he was, but she did.

She took his face in her hands and nodded. "Of course. That's beyond amazing." She kissed his cheek. "I'm so proud of you."

He rested his forehead on hers. "Thanks, Angel. It's nice to hear someone say that. I just got the news, but I didn't really have anyone to tell or anyone that would really care for that matter. . ."

She shook her head. "Well I care and I'm sure they're going to love you."

He smiled. "I have been quite motivated lately and I think a certain someone is to thank for that."

She smiled. "I wonder who?"

He shook his head. "Still such a smartass." He brought his lips to hers for a quick kiss.

Her arms slipped around his neck as she smiled against his lips. "I'm _your_ smartass." She murmured.

"That you are." He kissed her again before grabbing her hand.

It was strange how natural things were with him. Months before, she couldn't even imagine herself with a boyfriend and now she _had_ one. A boyfriend that was way too good looking for her. He was like a god with his chiseled features and boyish charm. Sometimes she felt like stale bread standing next to him. But he constantly told her that she was beautiful and she was slowly starting to believe him. It would probably take a while before she was completely confident in herself, but she was making progress. And just because she wasn't so confident on the inside didn't mean she had to be on the outside. She was a master at hiding her emotions. To everyone at school, she was the biker chick that had a temper. She would rather have people think that than to see her vulnerable side. Most of the school had seen her practically rip Ash's head off and punch Jack in the face. Maybe that meant they would keep their distance. She definitely had no problem with that.

Her and Kyle arrived to art class right before the bell rang. He planted a kiss to her temple before letting her hand go to take his seat. She smiled and plopped down beside Alex. When she saw the look on Alex's face, she knew she was in a good mood.

"Let me hear it. I know it's killing you."

She squealed. "Oh my God. It was so amazing. She has like the best fashion sense I've ever seen. That girl seriously needs to take me shopping. Anyway . . . we're going out again! _She_ asked _me_ out this time. Can you believe it!"

Maya laughed. "That's awesome, Alex. I don't think I've ever seen you this peppy. So I say go for it."

She smiled. "It's so nice to be this happy. So I'm definitely going for it."

"Good." Alex gave her a quick hug before the teacher walked in.

"Alright, take out your sketchbooks."

.o.O.o.

After the bell rang for lunch, Maya made a b-line to the bathroom. Her sorry excuse for a teacher wouldn't let her go until the stupid bell rang. _What a prick_.

After practically peeing on herself, she made her way down the hallway to lunch. On her way there, she saw a group of girls standing by the lockers. As she got closer she began to recognize some of them. Alex had her back to the lockers, facing Ash and the rest of her entourage. Alex's posture was stiff and closed off. Maya got a little closer and listened to what they were saying.

"So..." Ash began. "Sources tell me that you and Aline Penhallow were hanging out yesterday."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so..."

Ash smirked. "So what? You know she's a lesbo right? Are you two dating or something?"

Alex crossed her arms in front of her. "Last time I checked, what I do is my business."

"This guy in my Spanish class was there and he said they were holding hands." One of the girls behind Ash said.

Ash's smirk turned into a smile. "Is that so? Alex dear, is there something you want to tell us? Maybe on the topic of a 'closet' of some sorts."

Maya couldn't listen to Ash's nasally voice taunt her best friend any longer, so she quickly moved until she was in front of Alex. Ash recoiled back as if she were burned. Her face was covered in ten pounds of makeup like always and her stupid hair was pin straight _like always_. It used to make her jealous to look at Ash, but not even her pretty little face could make up for how much of a major bitch she was. Alex must not have been used to arguing or fighting for herself, but she was.

Maya glared at Ash. "Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind leaving my friend alone?"

Ash cackled, her entourage following behind. "And what are you, shortstop, going to do if I don't?"

Maya clenched her fists. Ash and the rest of her friends were at least three inches taller than her, but she was unfazed. "Well I know for a fact that I would have a lot of fun kicking your ass. I could actually take all of you bitches with my hands tied behind my back. Want to test that theory?" She said, not backing down.

Ash rolled her eyes. "God, what does Kyle see in you? You're so . . . plain and it's like you're PMSing twenty four seven. He'll learn soon enough though. He needs a woman to please him, not a little girl. And once he realizes that, he'll be begging me to take him back. So enjoy him while you have him, sweetie, because nothing with him ever lasts."

Maya looked down at her watch then back up at Ash. "Oh are you finished? Sorry I must have zoned out." She smiled. "And this isn't about me and Kyle, this is about you leaving Alex alone. Is you life really so pathetic that you have to creep on Juniors all the time? And wake up, it's 2015. The homophobic shit is really getting old, so do me and the entire world a favor and mind your own goddamn business for once."

Ash opened her mouth to say something else, but Maya just gave her the bird and dragged Alex with her to the cafeteria. Alex giggled as they opened the doors.

"I can't believe you just did that. That was so badass!" Alex cheered.

Maya shook her head. "One day, I'm seriously going to rearrange that barbie's face and her posse's too."

Alex laughed. "Thanks, bestie."

"It was my pleasure." Maya swung her arms in the air. They both laughed as they got their lunch.

Stephanie was already sitting at their table, talking to Jon. Maya and Alex sat down with them and Alex turned to Stephanie.

"Oh my God. Maya just totally put Ash in her place."

Stephanie's eyebrows rose. "Seriously? Dang it, I always miss the good stuff."

"What did you say?" Jon asked wearily.

Maya smiled. "Well being the kind person I am, I asked her politely to back off."

Alex laughed. "Yeah right. You threatened to kick her ass then flipped her off."

Maya shrugged taking a bite of her lunch. "Tomato. Tomato."

Kyle took a seat next to her and his arm wrapped around her waist. He pulled her to him, placed a kiss to her cheek, and smiled. "Hey." His voice was low in her ear. She held back a shiver and smiled. "Hey, Goldie."

The rest of them just looked at her and Kyle. Jon held a hand to his heart.

"What am I chopped liver? I really thought we had something Kyle. Something special!"

The entire table erupted into laughter. Kyle all but fell over. "Dude."

Jon smiled and pretended to flip hair over his shoulder. "Don't talk to me, traitor."

That made everyone laugh even more. Maya wiped a tear from under her eye and smiled at Jon. "You're an idiot."

"More like amazing." Jon grinned.

Alex looked down at her phone and smiled. "Hey guys,"

They looked at her. "Yeah?"

She bit her nail. "You wouldn't mind if Aline sat with us today right?"

Maya shook her head. "No, of course not. Right guys?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Bring her on over." Kyle said.

Alex smiled and got up. "Thanks guys."

Maya had only heard about Aline, she never actually met her. She was curious to see who she really was.

A couple minutes later, Alex returned with a girl around the same height as her. The girl was striking, even with simple black hair and dark brown eyes. She had a slight Asian look to her too. Alex was right about her style, the girl looked like she lived in Chanel. But Aline didn't give off an aura that she was stuck up or anything. She actually looked kind of shy.

"Guys, I want you to meet Aline." Alex smiled at the girl beside her.

Aline smiled and waved at them. "Hi."

Everyone said hello before she sat down. Alex sat down beside her and introduced everyone.

"So this is my brother Kyle and that's his best friend Jon, and these two girlies are my best friends, Maya and Stephanie."

"Nice to meet you guys." Aline said with a smile.

"You too."

Maya mouthed _nice_ to Alex after looking at Aline. _I know right_ she mouthed back. They laughed and the group jumped into another conversation. Aline was actually really nice. Alex was a lucky girl.

Before the bell for lunch rang, Alex and Aline left to go to class. Kyle was talking to Jon and Maya was talking to Stephanie. They were about to head out of the cafeteria to get to their classes when Ash approached her and Stephanie. She could see Kyle in front of them and she shook her head when he began walking towards her. He stopped and she turned back to Ash.

"Looking for a comeback? Well make it quick because we have a class to get to class."

Ash looked down at her. "You think you're big and bad because you're dating a senior? Well think again." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I run this school and I can make your life a living hell."

She almost laughed at that. She'd lived in hell for years, there was nothing Ash could do to her that would compare to that.

"Is that a threat, Barbie?"

Ash shrugged. "Depends."

Maya smiled. "Well alright, always nice chatting with you."

She saw the twitch in Ash's brow, knowing that she wasn't getting to her. Maya just continued to smile politely. Ash huffed in frustration and picked a cup off of a table nearby and tried to quickly dump it on her, but she redirected the liquid with her powers so it fell on her instead. Ash squealed as fruit punch spilled over her white top. Maya took a step back with Stephanie to avoid getting it over them.

"Get me napkins!" She screamed at the girls behind her.

Maya moved around her. "Wow. Karma's a bitch isn't it?" She flipped her off again as she backed away.

She was really getting tired of her.

Kyle walked over to her. She looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Oh hey, Goldie."

His eyes were filled with amusement. He pulled her somewhere more private and leaned down to her. "If I'm not mistaken, someone just used their..." He glanced around before continuing. " _powers_ for evil."

She bit her lip. "She was testing my patience. And you know how impatient I am. She has this like. . . vendetta against me, always has."

He grabbed her hand. "She's jealous of you, Angel."

She snorted. "Yeah right."

He shook his head. "She's jealous of us. She sees me with you. _Happy_ with you. And she loses it. I guess she figures if she can't have me than nobody can, but I'm not hers, never really was and never will be." He kissed the back of her hand. "I'm yours, only yours. Don't let her get to you."

She put her arms around him. "I won't. I know you care about me . . . or you would've left by now."

"I'm not going to leave you. If I can help it." He rested his lips on top of her head.

"Okay."

He grabbed her hand. "Let's get to class."

She nodded before walking with him.

* * *

AN: Hope you're having a great day, loves

~A


	30. Turning Page

AN: This chapter took me a few days to write. I needed to make sure everything was just right. I'm also thinking about going back and adding chapter songs to each chapter to set the mood ;) So I guess I'll start with this chapter. Enjoy! It's a long one :)

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**It's Time by Imagine Dragons_

 _**This Is What It Takes by Shawn Mendes_

 _**Heal by Tom Odell_

 _**Drifting by On An On_

* * *

Maya had gotten home from the studio about an hour ago and was just laying on her bed listening to music, in her own world. The studio was really becoming a second home to her. Everyone there was just so amazing and being able to see Patch and Elliot together was even better. Olivia was also becoming a great friend of hers.

Maya sighed then she heard someone banging on her door.

"Tenshi! Mom wants us ready in ten minutes!"

Maya huffed and removed the earbuds from her ears. She still had to go to that stupid dinner with Kyle's 'parents'. It would've been a lot better if Alex and Kyle came over there for dinner. She would enjoy that a hell of a lot more than sitting in a room with both Maryse and Robert. The way they treated Kyle was inhumane.

"Coming!" She yelled to Jon.

She quickly got up to make herself look somewhat presentable. She wasn't going to do anything special for them, but she wasn't going to go over there in sweatpants either. Even though she wanted nothing more than to show them how much she disrespected them, she was going to try and be polite. But only for her mother and especially Kyle. She knew he didn't want to get into it with his parents. He told her many times that he was done trying. That they would never change.

It broke her heart to hear him say that, but she promised him. She would have to keep her foot in her mouth for the duration of the dinner. Of course they would ask questions, but she would just have to put on the best smile she could muster and answer. The night would definitely test her acting skills. She should've been getting paid for the performance she was about to put on. It would only be fair.

After changing into some decent clothing that consisted of a gray shirt, a jean jacket, black jeans, and white converses. She didn't do anything to her hair besides combing it a little. Again, nothing special. When she looked outside she saw the dark clouds rolling in. For a second she thought she was causing it, but when she checked the forecast, she saw that everything was normal. It would probably be raining soon, so they had to get there soon.

Jon was waiting outside of her door when she opened it. She looked up at him.

"How's this for my 'I'm smiling on the outside, but I secretly despise you in the inside' face" She faked a smile.

"Hmmm . . ." He cocked his head to the side. "Convincing."

"Great." She walked with him downstairs.

"You know, I don't want to do this either. I could be hanging out with Stephanie or having some _me_ time."

She gagged. "I don't want to think about your 'me' time."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Tenshi." He bumped her shoulder.

She laughed. "You put it there, asshole."

He smiled. "But it made you lighten up didn't it?"

She shook her head. "Oddly enough, it did."

Jocelyn came out of the kitchen moments later. "Oh good, you're ready. Let's go." She shooed them out of the house and across the lawn.

Once they got to the front door, Jocelyn rang the doorbell. Maya let out a breath to calm her nerves.

 _Just a few hours_ she told herself.

Maryse opened the door and smiled at the three of them. "Welcome. Welcome."

She stepped to the side and allowed them in. Maryse turned to the stairs. "Our guests are here." She called.

Moments later Alex and Kyle were coming down the stairs and a very tall man that she assumed was Robert came from the kitchen. Maya was in the middle of taking off her jacket when she felt hands on her arms helping her. From the instant warmth she felt, she knew it was Kyle. He removed the jacket and put it on the stand beside the door.

"Max is at a friends so it's just us tonight. Dinners on the table, everyone." Maryse said excitedly.

Everyone followed her to the kitchen. Maya felt Kyle's hands got to her shoulders and she knew he noticed how tense she was. He massaged her shoulders slightly then leaned down to her. Everyone else was in front of them.

"I'm sorry you were dragged into this." He whispered.

She shook her head. "It's fine."

He chuckled. "I know when you're lying, Angel."

She sighed. "Fine. I think this whole thing is bullshit."

His hands slid down to her arms as he chuckled again. "There she is." He paused for a second. "And just say the words and I'll take us out of here."

She smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

He placed a small kiss behind her ear. "Okay."

It made her feel a little calmer knowing that he was there. She didn't know what she would do without him. He was her rock, the person that kept her going. For example, anytime she had a nightmare, he would stay with her and hold her until she went back to sleep. The nightmares never came back with him there. He was always there for her and in return she was there for him. And she would be damned if she let anyone keep him from being happy. He deserved to be happy. They both did.

The kitchen was pretty large with a table that looked like it belonged in _The Last Supper_. Everyone took a seat, Maya of course sitting next to Kyle. Jon sat on the other side of her with Alex next to him. Jocelyn sat at one end and Maryse and Robert sat at another. They both looked completely comfortable. Maya wanted to punch them both.

 _This was going to be a lot harder than she thought_.

The food on the table were things she's never seen or tried in her life and she lived in Japan. Her eyes widened a fraction at the possibilities. Maryse smiled at them.

"So Robert and I took a trip to France recently and these are some of the dishes that I learned to make. So dig in and enjoy. Have as much as you want, but save room for dessert!"

Maya wanted to roll her eyes so badly. She leaned over to Jon and whispered:

"Dare ga māsasuchuwāto o shōtai shimashita ka?" (Who invited Martha Stewart?)

He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Igirisu no joō-sama yori."(More like the Queen of England.)

Maya bit her lip to refrain from laughing. Kyle raised a brow at her. _Tell you later_ she mouthed. Jocelyn shot her and Jon a look. She'd forgot there was one more person in the room that knew Japanese. She mentally slapped herself.

Everyone began putting food on their plate and Maya just put some of everything on hers. If she was allergic to something on her plate then god help her. French cuisine was definitely not something she's had. There was never any reason for her to eat it. It looked way too fancy.

It was no surprise that his parents took a trip to France without him. They still had a certain mindset that made them think they only had two children. There was seriously something wrong with them.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about them. It made her lose her appetite thinking about how vial they were. Kyle meant so much to her that his problems turned into her problems. The fact that his parents caused him to suffer made her angry, so angry. She lived with people that made her suffer everyday and she never wanted anyone to feel half of what she felt all those years. Her and Kyle might not have been in the same situation, but it still affected them. They both had there issues because of what was done to them. She was finally free from what caused her pain and she wanted him to be too. But the world wasn't a wish granting factory, no matter how much she wished it was.

There weren't Genies, Fairies, or Witches that could help people. She never believed in those kinds of things. Never believed in Santa Clause, The Tooth Fairy, etcetera. Those things were just myths to her. She believed that if any of those things existed, her life wouldn't have ended up the way it did. It wouldn't have taken seven years for her to have a good, loving family. Those myths just gave kids like her false hope and if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't have believed it.

She did believe in some things though. She believed that her and Kyle were brought together for a reason. Whether it was fate or something else that made them meet each other. There was something missing in both of them. A missing piece in the puzzle of their lives. She didn't know about him, but she believed that he was her missing piece. He completed her. There was no doubting it.

It was strange how the universe worked. Her and Kyle started out annoying the hell out of each other. She'd never met anyone that was so full of themselves, but she learned later that it was his mask. Whenever he felt like he was slipping that was when he acted the most cocky. She guessed she was the only one to see past the surface. Maybe it just took one to know one. She noticed that he wasn't as closed off as he used to be. He was more vulnerable. She didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. It was good that he was opening up, but it made the fact that he was broken more of a reality.

The sound of thunder broke Maya from her reverie. She looked out of the nearest window to see that it was pouring. How long was she out of it?

She barely touched her food and she didn't think she would. Her appetite just wasn't there and it wasn't the food that she was used to. Not that she was picky, but she did want to know what she was putting into her body and she wasn't getting any hints by just looking at it.

"So Alex tells me that you guys lived in Japan for a bit, what made you want to move there?" Maryse asked.

Maya immediately tensed at her question. They didn't talk about why they moved there. She'd only told one person the reason and that was because she trusted him. She didn't trust Maryse.

Kyle must have noticed her reaction and bumped her leg with his. She looked up at him and he asked if she was okay with his eyes. He knew the reason why they moved there and he knew why she didn't want to talk about it.

She bit her lip, nodded slightly and waited for Jocelyn's answer. Jocelyn glanced in her direction before answering.

"Um . . . It was for a job and a great opportunity that I couldn't pass up." Jocelyn said with a smile.

"That sounds wonderful." Maryse clapped her hands together. "So Jocelyn, are you married?"

Maya saw Jocelyn's eyes widen a fraction. "I used to be. My husband passed away a little after Jonathan was born."

Maryse put a hand to her chest. "Oh I am so sorry. I had no idea."

It was obvious that a subject change was needed. Maryse looked to Robert and he cleared his throat. "So what are some hobbies that your kids have?"

Maya subconsciously took a bite of food and immediately regretted it. She was definitely not a fan of French food. Or maybe a few nights in France doesn't make you an expert in their cuisine.

"Jon plays soccer for the school and Maya dances at the EXPG studio after school."

Maryse smiled. "Oh dancing. What kind? Ballet? Jazz? Tap?"

"Hip-Hop." Maya said.

Her smile faltered slightly. "Oh. That sounds wonderful."

Maya just smiled kindly. She knew Maryse was judging her, but she didn't even care anymore. She could handle her judgmental attitude.

"So how's school treating you two?"

Her and Jon looked at each other. His eyebrows rose.

"Good I guess." Jon said. "The school's pretty nice."

Maya just nodded in agreement.

"It is nice." Maryse turned to Jocelyn. "Alex has been on the honor roll for the past three years and Max is at the top of his class."

It didn't slip Maya's mind that she said nothing about Kyle. As if she had nothing to be proud of him for. Maya gave Jocelyn a look as if to say _I told you so_. From the returning look, Maya knew she noticed too.

"I know Kyle, you're on the soccer team with Jon. I heard you guys are going to states, that's amazing." Jocelyn smiled at him.

Maya smiled at her mother. Jocelyn would always be the most amazing woman she has ever had the privilege of knowing. She wanted everyone to feel important or cared for. Maryse grimaced and shook her head. Maya's smile fell when she began to speak.

"I've always thought that he took sports way too seriously. I personally think that he should be worrying about his academics so he can get into a good college because what are the chances of him really going anywhere with _soccer_." She said the word like it gave off a bad taste.

Maya clenched her fists and sat up straighter in her seat. Both Jon and Kyle grabbed her wrists. She sighed and Jon released his grip. Kyle opened her fist and intertwined his fingers with hers. No one else at the table seemed to notice the gesture. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Actually mom, I told you and Robert before that I wanted to be a professional soccer player. I'm good, I know I am, and I really think that if I work hard, I'll make it." He looked at both of them. "There's this scout from NYU coming to watch me play at states. This could be a big break for me."

"Really? That is awesome, why didn't you tell me!" Alex said.

Kyle just shrugged. Jon patted him on the back. "Congrats, man."

Jocelyn smiled. "That is great, NYU is a great school."

"But is it really a priority?" Maryse began. "There are plenty of schools out there that have great academic programs. Maybe you and Alex can get into a law program. That will guarantee success."

"I don't want to be a lawyer." Kyle countered.

"You're a teenager, you don't know what you want to do yet and that's okay. Your mother is just saying what's best for you." Robert said.

Maya couldn't listen any longer. They were attacking him, backing him into a corner that he didn't want to be in. She wasn't going to let them pressure him like that. They had no room to be doing that, especially after ignoring him after all of these years. She slammed her fork down and shot up out of her seat, letting go of Kyle's hand. Everyone's eyes widened.

"What's best for him?!" Maya yelled.

Maryse looked at her. "Excuse me—"

"No you just sit there and listen, both of you. I am so sick and tired of listening to you pressure him like this. You and me both know that this is probably the most you've paid attention to him this entire year. He has been fighting for himself for years, you've never been there for him. You call him a trouble maker, but the only reason he got into trouble in the first place was so you would notice him! You sit here and you talk about how proud you are of Max and Alex, how do you think that makes him feel? You're blaming him for something that isn't even his fault. So what, you ignore him for all of these years and then turn around and try to make life decisions for him because you _think_ you know what's best for him? Well guess what? You don't. He can make his own decisions because he has been on his own for a long time. You don't have the right to be in his life anymore, you screwed up. So whatever great man he becomes, you won't be responsible."

She turned to Kyle. "You might not be proud of him, but I am. I'm going to be there for him because he's worth it. He deserves to have someone care about him." She turned back to them. "And you two can go screw yourselves. Because he is going to grow up and become a better person than both of you combined and more. He's going to be a real man and take care of his wife and kids and then you'll wish that you paid attention to him. Then you'll wish you didn't fuck everything up and break him. You'll regret this, I promise you, but it will be too late. He'll move on and be successful and you'll be stuck here with no one. So congratulations, you've done a shit job as parents and trust me, I would know."

With that she stormed off out of the house. It was still pouring, but she didn't care. The rain immediately soaked all of her clothes and hair. She was pacing back and forth in the road, trying to calm herself down. _So much for keeping her mouth shut_. She just couldn't take it anymore. They needed to know how their actions affected him. She wanted them to feel guilty so maybe they would change. If she wanted to make a good impression, she failed. Kyle must have been so pissed at her. She said those things in front of everyone. It was like once she started, she couldn't stop.

Moments later, Kyle exited the house and jogged over to her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at her. His hair was already soaked and in his eyes and his shirt was clinging to him. She sighed at his silence.

"Look Kyle, I'm sorry for doing that. It wasn't my intention to freak out like that, but they just started talking and I wanted to shut them up. I couldn't listen to them, knowing what they did to you. I know I promised that I wouldn't say anything and you must be beyond mad at me and—why . . . why are you looking at me like that?"

His eyes raked over her in awe as he took a step closer to her. He took her face in his hands and crashed his lips to hers. She was not expecting that at all. She thought that he would be angry with her, but he was _kissing_ her. Her arms slipped around his neck and she buried her hands in his wet hair. She could taste the rain water on his lips. One of his arms went to her waist to pull her flush against him. She opened to him and she noticed how different the kiss was from any other one they've shared. There was something more to it that she couldn't pin point. The feeling made her want to cry.

Kyle pulled away and both of his hands went back up to cup her face. The rain still continued to pour around them. He looked into both of her eyes.

"I love you."

Her breath caught in her throat. "W-What?"

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone. I feel like I can tell you anything. You know things about me that nobody else knows. We started out as friends, with our window talks, but over the past couple of months, I've truly fallen for you. I find that you're on my mind more than anything else. I was so sick of being deceived, mistreated, and unappreciated. Then you came along for some unknown reason and changed everything. There is no doubt in my mind that you are the one for me. Just seeing you smile or hearing your voice brightens up my worst days. You just mean so much to me. You're a stubborn smartass that doesn't take anybody's bullshit, not even my parents. You're also the most beautiful person that I have ever laid eyes on, well the second, I do own a mirror." She slapped his arm and laughed. He shook his head. "But all jokes aside, you are the bravest, strongest, single most beautiful person I know. And I just want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me in this fucked up world we're living in and that I love you."

She was definitely crying now. No one had ever spoken to her like that. It just gave her a rush of emotions that she couldn't control. Of course Jocelyn and Jon said they loved her, but she never heard it spoken in such a beautiful way. He always did have a way with words.

"Kyle . . ." So many things were spinning through her mind that she didn't know what to say, so she showed him.

Her grip tightened on his neck as she brought his lips back down to hers. He reacted immediately by wrapping both of his arms around her waist and drawing her closer. She kissed him like she needed to him to live. He returned the kiss with the same passion, both of them battling for dominance. She continued to kiss him until she couldn't breathe and was forced to pull away with a sharp intake of breath. They looked at each other and she could only focus on one thing.

Kyle loved her. He _loved_ her!

She smiled up at him and said the words she's wanted to say for a long time.

"I love you too."

He grinned. "You do?"

Her smile widened. "You bet your ass I do."

He laughed and kissed her lips again before lifting her up in his arms. She laughed as he twirled her around. After he set her down, she moved some of his hair from his eyes, he did the same before taking her hand. "Let's get you out of this rain."

She shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

He shook his head. "We're not going back in there. I was going to my car."

She continued walking. "Okay."

He opened the door for her and made sure she got in then got in himself. She shivered from the chill inside of the car. Kyle looked at her. "You're cold."

She was going to tell him that she was fine, but he was already looking in the backseat for something. A second later he returned with one of his hoodies. She allowed him to drape it over her and blushed.

"Thanks."

He chuckled. "Seriously? Even after me confessing my love for you, this is when you blush?"

She covered her cheeks and smiled. "I hate you."

He shook his head. "Too late, Angel. You already said you loooovvveee me."

She crinkled her nose. "I know."

He let out a breath and shook his hair out. Maya squealed as water sprayed on her and Kyle just laughed. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I can't believe you told my parents off." He said in disbelief.

She nodded. "Me either. It just . . . came out."

He smirked. "Well I found it downright sexy."

Maya raised a brow. "Sexy?"

He nodded. "Hell yeah. I wanted to kiss the hell out of you right there, I just felt so much pride knowing that it was you."

Maya grimaced. "Did my mom look angry?"

Kyle smiled. "She was the one who told me to go after you. And she looked more surprised than angry, but that was how everyone looked."

Maya bit her lip. "So you're not mad."

He shook his head. "No. Everything you said was the truth."

She reached over for his hand. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I mean everything with you is perfect, but things with my parents are just going to get worse. I might have to crash somewhere else for tonight, give them some time to cool down."

"You could stay with me."

He looked at her. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Okay."

.o.O.o.

Later that night, Kyle was lying awake, looking at Maya's ceiling. She was fast asleep, nuzzled into his side with his arm wrapped around her. He wanted to sleep with her, but his mind was working overtime. There were just no words to describe how happy he was. The only girl he's ever loved, loved him back. He felt like the luckiest guy on earth.

He used to think that love wasn't real. Of course people said the words, but they didn't truly mean it. They couldn't love him if they didn't know him. The people around him always thought they knew him, but they didn't. They knew a different version, the mask. But he didn't need a mask around Maya.

Her bedroom door opened and Kyle thought it would be Jon, but then he saw red hair. Jocelyn stood in the doorway looking at them. Kyle's eyes widened as she got closer.

"Ms. Fray I promise you that we didn't do anything. I know I'm breaking all kinds of rules right now but— "

Jocelyn chuckled a little. "I already knew you were here Kyle. My daughter tells me everything."

He furrowed his brows. "Oh."

She smiled. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

He nodded and looked at Maya still asleep. Trying his best not to wake her up, he slowly unwrapped his arm from around her and removed himself from her bed. Before leaving with Jocelyn he placed a small kiss to Maya's forehead and moved her hair out of her face. She sighed and a small smile tugged at her lips.

Once outside, Jocelyn closed Maya's door and looked at him before sitting down on the floor. He furrowed his brows before following her.

"So tell me about yourself."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's see. There isn't much to know other than playing soccer, the guitar, and the occasional video game."

"So you want to become a professional soccer player?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am."

She smiled. "Well from the games I've gone to, you seem to have great potential. I've always told my children to follow their dreams despite what anyone else says. So I'll tell you the same. Don't let your parents push you into doing something you don't want to do, because in the end it's all about being happy."

He wished he could've had a mother like Jocelyn. A mother that was proud of him and loved him no matter what. "Thank you. That means a lot."

She stood up. "You are very welcome. You deserve some praise for your accomplishments."

He was standing now, looking at the floor. "Thanks for noticing."

Jocelyn walked closer to him. "Your fight isn't over yet. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but I want you to hold your head up high through it all. You are going to be somebody, you hear me, and don't let anyone stop you."

He picked his head up and looked at her. "I won't. Not anymore."

She smiled. "Good to hear." She glanced at Maya's door. "I know you want to get back in there, so I'll let you go. Um . . . breakfast will be ready by nine o'clock and you are welcome to invite Alex also. So yeah, that's pretty much it. Don't forget what I told you, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

She gave him a small smile before turning around, but there was one more thing he needed to ask.

"Ms. Fray?"

She turned around. Kyle rubbed the back of his neck again.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you so comfortable with me staying with her? Shouldn't you be like kicking me out or forcing me to sleep on the couch or something?" She was just so casual about it and he had no idea why.

She smiled, knowingly. "I see the way you look at my daughter."

He furrowed his brows. "I don't understand." He didn't think he looked at her a specific way.

Jocelyn put her hands together. "You look at her like she's the most precious, fragile thing in your _world_. How can I get in the way of something like that?"

He never heard it put that way. He guessed that what he felt on the inside showed on the outside. "She means a lot to me. Everything actually."

Jocelyn nodded. "I believe you. So just do me a favor and take care of my daughter."

Kyle didn't see any reason to lie.

"I will."

* * *

 _*Cries*_

This chapter was really hard to write. There's still more to come, loves :)

PS: Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate every single one.

~A


	31. Picture This

AN: So I've been pretty busy with school, but I'm still finding time to write. Thanks for being so patient, because I am very good at procrastinating. Anyway, enough about me. Here's a cute little chapter for you guys.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

Chapter Songs:

**Landslide by Oh Wonder

**Maybe by Birdy

**Choose by Longfellow

* * *

"I cant believe my mom came in here last night." Maya said in disbelief. "What did she say?"

Kyle shook his head and smiled. "Nothing bad. She's actually really cool. You definitely hit the jackpot in moms."

She let out a relieved breath. Jocelyn was definitely protective of her, not as much as Jon, but enough. She thought for a moment that she gave him the third degree last night. Kyle was her first boyfriend and it was Jocelyn's job as her mother to know everything about him. It was clever of her to sneak in a talk with him because Maya could never survive being there as they had "the talk". Jocelyn told her before that she wanted her to be with someone that would take care of her and she believed Kyle would.

Maya smiled. "She is pretty cool isn't she."

Her and Kyle were the only two awake in the house. They were both in the living room sitting on the couch. Her legs were in his lap and her back was leaning against the arm of the couch. He seemed to be having fun drawing random patterns on her legs with his fingers.

"Have you talked to Alex?" He asked.

She shook her head. "She texted me last night and said she was going to Aline's. She didn't want to be around your parents either. Looks like they're not on anyone's good side right now."

He nodded. "It's no one's fault, but theirs. They did it to themselves. I'm not going to feel sorry for them."

Maya agreed. "You shouldn't."

They were silent for a while and his fingers stilled on her legs. He looked to be deep in thought about something and it made her wish she could read minds. Sometimes she wanted to know what went on in his head, he was quite mysterious at times, but so was she. She didn't want them to have to hide things from each other anymore. So in order to get his attention, she moved so that her the upper half of her was in his lap. She pulled her knees up and leaned them against the couch and turned to him.

"What are you thinking about?"

He tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand as the other one gripped her waist. "It's just—nothing, it's none of my business."

She shook her head. "Are you kidding? After everything we've been through. You can ask me anything."

He looked down at her. "I just don't want to make you upset."

She shook her head. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't get upset."

He let out a breath and she waited for him to speak.

"Do you ever think about your parents? Your biological ones, I mean."

Her eyebrows rose slightly, but she wasn't upset. She knew the question would come up one day.

She nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. There are some things that I wish I knew about them. All I have of them is one picture. I used to ask about them a lot, just trying to figure out something about them. I got nothing, it was like they didn't even exist. On my file it says they're dead, but the cause of their death is unknown. Sometimes I just wonder what happened to them because people can't just disappear."

His eyebrows rose. "So all you have is one picture?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Would you like to see it?"

He hesitantly nodded. "Sure."

He let go of her and allowed her to get up. She took his hand and led him up to her room. He wanted to know something about her and she was going to share it with him, no questions asked. She trusted him with her secrets.

Once inside of her room, she shut the door and let go of his hand to go into her closet. She still had a box that wasn't unpacked and she knew the photo was inside. Kyle took a seat on her bed and waited for her. It took her a few moments to find the picture. When she got it out, she took a look at it and felt her chest tighten. The picture used to cause a flurry of emotions, but she was stronger now.

She walked over to her bed where Kyle sat. He looked at her as she stood in front of him and handed him the photo. He took it and pulled her to sit in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at the photo with him.

"It's been a while since I've seen this." She told him.

The photo was of her biological parents sitting together in what looked to be a diner. The edges were run down from the years of use, but the center was as clear as ever. Her mother was smiling and her father was looking at her with a grin plastered on his face.

Maya smiled. "Those gray eyes that you seem to love so much, they're my mom's."

"You look like her." He said.

She looked at the picture. "You think so? I've always thought that she was beautiful"

He looked at her. "Well so are you."

She blushed as he kissed her cheek. They still looked at the photo.

"Do you think they loved each other?" She asked.

He nodded. "From the looks of it, your dad was definitely crazy about your mom."

"Sometimes I think that their death wasn't an accident. Like what if they were protecting me or something? Did they know I was going to get powers? Were they taken away for sick science experiments? There's just so many crazy questions that I'll probably never get the answers to."

He put the picture down. "Maybe not knowing isn't such a bad thing."

She furrowed her brows. "How do you figure?"

"Just think of it, you've been through so much already. You don't need anything else in your life to haunt you. So maybe the unknown kept you from breaking completely."

She looked at him. "I've never thought about it that way."

He smiled. "That's what I'm here for, Angel. The brains of this operation."

She smacked his forehead. "Nope. I'm pretty sure it's empty in there."

He rubbed his head and playfully glared at her. "You're damaging precious goods, Angel."

She smiled. "No I'm damaging _you_."

He smirked. "You're going to regret that."

She copied his smirk. "Am I—"

But before she could finish, he flipped them so that her back was on her bed with him above her. She had no time to stop him before his hands started tickling her sides. She laughed and tried her best to squirm out of his grasp, but he had her trapped.

"Uncle! Uncle!" She continued to laugh.

He smiled. "I'm sorry did you say 'more'?"

His hands continued their assault and she had no choice but to surrender. He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Are you sorry?" He asked.

She bit her lip to refrain from laughing. "Bottom of my heart."

" _Very_ convincing." He said sarcastically.

Maya smiled and glanced down as something hanging from his neck glinted in the sunlight. She brought her hand up to finger the silver chain. She'd seen him wearing it for quite a while now, but she hadn't really thought anything of it.

"Where'd you get this?" She asked.

He looked down at the chain. "It was my father's, my real one. He sent it to me a while ago, I guess to give me something of his. Of course I never got it because my parents were keeping everything from me, but it was in one of the letters I was able to salvage. It's all I have of him so, I don't know, it's kind of important to me."

She nodded in understanding and looked at the tag on the chain. She recognized it as a military dog tag so she flipped it over and read the description:

 _Herondale_

 _Stephen, W._

 _2965432_

 _B Positive_

 _No Rel. Pref._

"So your father was in the military."

He nodded.

She crinkled her nose. "Hmmm. Kyle Herondale . . ."

He chuckled. "It sounds horrible doesn't it?"

She smiled. "No. It just doesn't roll off the tongue."

He nodded. "But anything sounds good when you say it."

She laughed. "Does not."

"Well except for when you're angry, you're just hot when you're angry."

Her hands slid down to his hips. "Am I now?"

He smirked. "There's this fire you've got." He leaned down and placed small kisses along her jaw as his voice dropped. "I noticed it the first time we met and I have to say that it is quite attractive."

She laughed. "Are you sure it's not the fact that I can create actual fire."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I like that too."

She looked at him. "I'm surprised you noticed _me_. You've seen the girl's at our school right?"

He didn't skip a beat. "I have, but I can tell you now that they aren't half as beautiful as you."

She shook her head. "You don't have to sugar coat anything for me."

"But I'm not. Do you realize how many hours they spend piling that stuff on their faces and making themselves up. You're different, you don't feel the need to make yourself up for anyone, change yourself for anyone. Everything about you is real and that's what makes you the most beautiful girl I know." He said.

"You always know exactly what to say." She smiled.

He kissed her lips. "I know what my girl needs."

Her heart fluttered at his words. _His_ girl.

"I like it when you call me that."

He looked down at her. "Well that's what you are, Angel."

She smiled. "That I am."

.o.O.o.

An hour later, Maya and Kyle sat in her room with no one else awake. It was obvious that they woke up way too early for normal people.

Maya sat up against her pillows looking at him. He was lying on his back at the foot of her bed throwing a ball up into the air and catching it when it came back down.

"You know," he said. "This is the longest relationship that I've been in."

She furrowed her brows. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "I'm not proud of the person I used to be. I was a player. I used to think that I was doing those girls a favor by going out with them. Most of them knew what they were getting themselves in to. Nothing with me lasted, but they didn't care, as long as they got their bragging rights. Most girls just couldn't see past my looks."

He definitely was not proud of the guy he used to be. She deserved so much better and that's what he wanted to be for her. He just wanted to be himself.

"Well I'm not like those girls."

He stopped tossing the ball and looked at her. "No. No you're not." He smiled.

"So what's up with Ash? I know she's still hung up on you and I seriously believe she's plotting my death right this moment."

He raised a brow. "Are you worried about something?"

She shook her head. "She just said some stuff, but it doesn't matter."

He sat up. "What?"

She waved a hand. "It's nothing."

He got closer to her. "Angel..."

He definitely didn't want Ash getting in the way of their relationship. Maya meant way to much to him to let something like Ash make her upset.

She sighed. "She told me that I'm immature and she doesn't know what you see in me. She said you need 'a woman to please you, not a little girl'. And once you figure that out you'll leave. But it's bullshit, she's just trying to get to me."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Do you want me to say something to her?"

She shook her head. "I can handle it."

He smirked. "You're not going to kill her or anything right?"

She smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know."

He chuckled and went back to his original position at the bottom of her bed. She bit her lip.

"I'm not a prude, I promise. It's just. . . I'm not ready to go that far. And I'm sorry if that's making you frustrated, but—"

He sat up quickly. "I'm not frustrated, not in the least." He moved until he was in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. "Do you even know what I feel for you?"

She just looked at him. He brought his lips to hers. "You're everything to me, Angel. Just being able to touch you, kiss you, look at you makes me lose my mind. I know we're not there yet, neither of us are ready and I'm perfectly fine with that. We're taking things slow and when we get there, we get there. So don't stress about it."

She nodded. "Okay."

He sat back against her pillows. "Now come here."

She moved until she was straddling his lap. He moved one of his hands to the back of her neck and into her hair. His other hand snaked around her waist. She sighed and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He let out a breath of his own and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Promise me something." He said.

She removed her face from his neck and looked at him. Both of her hands moved to his face as she rested her forehead on his. He looked between both of her eyes.

"Promise me that you won't let stupid things like Ash come between us. You mean way too much to me for me to lose you to something like that."

She brought her lips down to his. "Promise."

He smiled. "Okay."

He watched her as she glanced down at his lips. He did the same and before he knew it, his lips were on hers and her hands were in his hair. He usually didn't let girls touch him like that and hated it when they got too clingy, but with Maya he could never get enough. He let her touch him any way she wanted. When she started, he just didn't want her to stop. He craved her, everything about her.

When she tugged on the strands of his hair, signaling that she wanted more, he parted her soft lips with his own, finally being able to taste her. The feeling sent a current running through him. Both of his hands moved to splay across her back as he brought her closer. She was going to make him lose his mind one day. If her lips were poison, he would gladly die right then and there.

He knew that there was a slight chance that either Jon or Jocelyn could walk in on them, but the thought was in the back of his mind. She pulled away for a breath and before he could finish taking one of his own, her lips were back on his. Both of their breathing accelerated as their lips continued to move together. She fit so perfectly with him.

He had somewhat of a control on his hormones, but that shattered the minute she shifted her hips over him slightly. A low groan worked it's way up and his hands flew to her waist. He removed his lips from hers and rested his forehead on her shoulder, trying to calm himself down. He felt her move again, probably trying to see what was wrong, but she only ended up shifting over him again. His fingers gripped her tighter.

"Angel." He choked out. "You probably shouldn't do that." He said between breaths.

She gasped, most likely figuring out what he meant. "Oh god. I'm sorry—it's just—we were—and I—"

He chuckled and picked his head up to look at her. "Angel, it's okay. I'm the one who should have a little more of a hold on my self control."

Her cheeks flushed. "Do you . . . uhh . . . want me to move?"

He smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Well . . ."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot."

"A handsome idiot."

She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

He glanced back down at her lips. "I have an idea."

She smiled. "What could that be?"

He bit his lip. "I can probably show you better than I can tell you."

She leaned in to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "Mmm."

He bit back a groan. "I seriously think you're trying to kill me."

"Definitely."

Then her lips were back on his.

* * *

AN: Just a short little chapter. There will be more next time. Have a nice day, loves :)

~A


	32. This Means War

AN: To make up for the small chapter before, I made this one REALLY long. So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Open Your Eyes by Bea Miller (Jon & Maya)_

 _**Bloodstream by Transviolet (Maya & Kyle)_

 _**Enemy Fire by Bea Miller (Ash & Maya)_

 _**Knock the Dominoes by Scott & Brendo (Maya & Kyle)_

* * *

Maya went to school that day expecting it to be like any other day. She would go to her classes, eat lunch, have more classes, then leave to go to the studio, just like she did every day. There was no reason for it to be any different. Or at least that's what she thought. After spending the day with Kyle, she felt at ease. So when she got up that morning, she saw no reason to be stressed. What she didn't know was that that day would be the start of a war.

Her and Jon sat at the table eating breakfast. Jocelyn had already headed off to work, leaving breakfast on the table before she went. They were both counting down the weeks until summer break which only consisted of one more month. Jon and Kyle, of course, were lucky to be graduating. Maya and Alex still had a year left. It would be a relief to see "the plastics" graduate. Ash and her little entourage had overstayed their welcome. Their purpose in life was to cause unwarranted drama. Maya had definitely had enough of them. But she would miss having Kyle around. She wasn't sure where their relationship would go after he graduated. They didn't exactly talk about it, but she figured they would.

"Oh no, you're being quiet. Something must be wrong." Jon said with a smile.

She narrowed her eyes at him as he shook his head. "What's up?"

She looked at him. "Do ever think about what you and Stephanie are going to do after graduation?"

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Like are you going to stay together?"

He shrugged. "I guess so."

She rolled her eyes. "You guess so?"

"Yeah. Like if something were to happen, making us have to go our separate ways, maybe we'll stay together or maybe we won't."

She couldn't see her and Kyle just leaving things, going their separate ways after everything they've been through. After everything they've told each other. She wouldn't be able to do that, but who knew what Kyle was thinking.

She fumbled with her fingers. "Do you think something could happen to me and Kyle? I mean, both of you are graduating and I don't know if he'll want to eventually end things. I have no idea how these things work."

Jon shook his head. "You're overthinking things, Tenshi. I don't know all of the details of your relationship with him, and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible, but I know that you two have something. He talks about you a lot, when we're at practice or in class, it drives me crazy sometimes, but it's nice to know that he cares about you just as much as I do. So I think there's a very slim chance that he'll just want to end things with you. And if he does, I just might kill him."

She smiled to herself. "He talks about me?"

Jon rolled his eyes. " _That's_ all you got from that?"

She waved a hand. "No . . ."

He smiled. "Whatever."

"So what does he say?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Well I can't _tell_ you. That's strictly against the guy code."

She gave him her best puppy dog eyes and put her hands together.

He looked at her. "I'm sorry, Tenshi. My hands are tied."

She continued to look at him and she could practically hear the gears shifting in his head.

"That's not going to work on me." He said.

She didn't redirect her gaze. He lasted only a few more seconds until he huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Dammit—fine, I'll tell you."

She smiled. "Thanks big bro."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Ha. Ha."

She waited for him to speak.

He sighed. "He just asks for advice sometimes, other times he can just go on and on about how great you are."

She laughed. "Kyle needing advice, that has to be a first."

Jon smiled and shook his head. "He apparently has no idea how to be someone's boyfriend. It's weird giving advice about my sister, but I just pretend that it's not you."

"He's so sweet." She couldn't believe he needed her brother's advice. Who knew he was just as clueless about relationships as she was.

"I thought he was an asshole?" Jon smiled.

Maya nodded. "He's that too."

Jon grinned at her.

"Yeah, you two are definitely sticking together."

.o.O.o.

Kyle was already at her locker when she got to school. They usually walked to class together so it would have been odd if he wasn't standing there. Of course ever girl in the hall was looking at him. It would be hard not to when he looked like that. He was leaning against her locker with his hands in his pockets and his head against the lockers, looking straight ahead. He was wearing a black t-shirt with with sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, dark jeans, and boots. She also noticed the silver chain tucked into his shirt. With his sleeves rolled up she could see the muscles in his arms and she wondered how those same arms held her with such delicacy.

She felt a blush appear in her cheeks when she realized she was staring just like every other girl in the hall. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed. He was her boyfriend, she could look at him all she wanted, but for some reason the sight of him made her act stupid sometimes. It was crazy how much he had an effect on her.

Kyle glanced in her direction and the blank look he had before disappeared, replaced by a sly grin. At least she knew she had an effect on him too. While trying to remove the blush from her cheeks and failing miserably, she walked up to him. She couldn't use her hair to hide her face because of her decision to put it up this morning. Knowing that he would notice made the burn in her cheeks worse.

When she finally got to her locker, Kyle moved to the side and took her helmet to allow her to open it. Once she got it open, he handed it to her. While putting it inside, she heard him move then she felt his presence behind her. She gasped slightly and turned around, shutting her locker in the process. One of his hands moved to splay on the locker above her head as he leaned down to her. His eyes slowly moved over her, starting at her feet and ending at her eyes. The once over made her shiver and the smirk that appeared on his face proved that it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey, Angel."

Did he have to make his voice sound like _that_?

She let out an uneven breath. "Hey, Goldie."

He raised a brow. "You feeling okay?"

As if he didn't know what he was doing to her. She was going to start hyperventilating if he kept looking at her like that.

"Yeah." She said breathily. "Fine."

His face got closer to hers. "I know when you're lying, Angel."

She knew he did and that was why she didn't even try to deny it. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh.

"You're teasing me."

He smiled. "How so?"

She looked up at him. "You can't just look at me like that and not do anything about it."

He chuckled. "I was getting to that, I just wanted to see if everything was okay."

She smiled. "I'm fine."

He smirked. "Okay."

He looked at her then one of his fingers hooked into one of her belt loops as he tugged her towards him. She let him pull her against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could practically feel the glares she was getting from the girls walking past. His hands slid to her waist as he began placing small kisses on her face. She laughed and moved his face until his lips were on hers. He smiled against her mouth and backed them up until her back was against the lockers. She could tell that they were both getting a little carried away, but she didn't have the least bit of control to stop.

"Maybe . . . we should . . . get to class." she said between breaths.

He nodded, not removing his lips from hers. "Yeah . . . maybe."

Her arms slid around his neck again as she continued to kiss him. They didn't break away until they heard a throat clear beside them. She furrowed her brows and turned to see a teacher standing beside them, looking very impatient. Kyle chuckled as she blushed.

"Sorry Señora Elliot." He said.

She raised a brow. "Está bien. You two just get to class."

Kyle nodded and the teacher returned to her classroom. As soon as she was gone, Maya broke into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my god. I can't believe that just happened."

He chuckled. "I think she's still mad at me for failing her test."

Maya shook her head and leaned into him, lowering her voice. "¿Por qué tu no estudias?" She made extra sure to roll her "r" just to drive him crazy.

His eyes widened slightly and his head fell to the lockers beside them as his hands gripped her waist tighter. "Jesus." He let out a breath and looked at her. "I have no idea what the hell you just said, but that is by far the sexiest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

She laughed. "You're a senior and you don't know basic Spanish?"

"I don't need to know Spanish, but I would gladly take lessons from you if it meant listening to you talk like _that_."

She slapped his arm. "Pig."

He caught her hand and laced it with his. "Could you say that again, but in Spanish this time?"

Sometimes she could just slap him, but she wouldn't want him to be any other way. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Kidding."

She was about to say something, but something caught her eye behind him and she focused on that instead. Down the hall was Ash and the rest of her friends, but that wasn't what drew her attention, it was who was next to her. Jack stood by her side with her arm looped through his. Maya watched as Ash glanced in their direction and her eyes went directly to Kyle. When Ash saw that he wasn't paying attention to anything she was doing, she stomped her foot like a child and stormed off. Jack just shook his head and walked off.

"Angel?"

Her eyes snapped to Kyle's. "I'm sorry."

He looked behind him. "What were you looking at?"

She glanced down the hall. "I think Ash was trying to make you jealous."

He raised a brow. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "She was with Jack."

He shook his head. "Not surprising. They had a fling a while ago when I was with her."

Her eyes widened. "Ash cheated on you with your best friend?"

He nodded. "Apparently, but I don't really care. They can have each other for what it's worth."

She bit her lip. "You sure you're okay with it?"

He smiled. "Yes, Angel. Neither of them are on my list of priorities."

"You have a list?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes and I can tell you what's at the top of that list." He looked down at her.

"What?"

He leaned in as if he were going to kiss her, but pulled back and grinned. "My face."

She crossed her arms in front of her. Somehow she knew he was going to say something like that.

"Is it?"

He nodded. "Is it looking good today?"

She looked at him for a minute. "Eh."

He recoiled. "'Eh'?"

She shrugged. "I've seen better."

He smirked. "Okay."

She didn't trust that smirk so she slowly backed away. "Don't even think about it."

He moved closer to her with an innocent smile on his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She held her hands out. "I'm serious."

He took another step towards her and before she knew what was happening, he had picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She squealed as he chuckled.

"Put me down!" She laughed.

"I don't think I want to."

He picked up her book bag and started walking to their class. She continued to slap away at his back, but it was like hitting solid rock. He had a firm grip on her legs to keep her from moving and most likely falling.

She laughed again. "Goldie!"

"Can't hear you." He said in a sing-song voice.

She bit back her laugher for just a moment. "I am so kicking your ass."

He chuckled. "Looking forward to it."

She didn't stop laughing until they reached the classroom. It was pretty obvious that they were both late and Kyle, of course, had to make a grand entrance so he didn't put her down. She heard the soft chuckles of her classmates before they were completely inside. Kyle chuckled one more time before setting her gently in her seat. She playfully glared at him, but her look disappeared when he leaned down to place a kiss to her temple.

"Now we're even."

She crossed her arms and smiled. "I'm still kicking your ass, Goldie."

He gave her a small smirk before backing away to go to his seat. She could feel the stares her classmates were giving her, but she ignored them and just waited for class to begin.

They were definitely _not_ even.

.o.O.o.

"So prom is coming up." Alex said.

Maya nodded and picked up an apple from the lunch line. "I'm aware."

Alex smiled. "Has my brother asked you yet?"

She picked up a water bottle. "No, but I don't even know if want to go."

Alex gasped as if she slapped her. "You _have_ to go. This cheap school already combines Junior and Senior prom so you don't even have to worry about being the only ones there."

"Alex." Maya whined.

Alex looked at her. "You're going. Don't even try to get out of this."

Maya laughed. "Fine, but only if you help me get ready."

Alex squealed. "Of course I will! And I found this dress that would look perfect on—"

"No!" Maya's eyes widened. "I am _not_ wearing a _dress_." She loved Alex, but not enough to wear a _dress_.

Alex's mouth dropped open. "Then what are you going to wear?"

"Clothes from my closet." Maya said, like it was the most obvious thing ever.

Alex scoffed. "You are not going to prom in everyday clothes."

Maya sighed. "Alex, please."

She shook her head. "Nope. We'll talk about this later."

Maya saw no reason to argue. Alex would get her way anyway, she just couldn't say no to her sometimes. She was very convincing.

Her and Alex were on their way to their table when Maya overheard a nearby conversation.

". . .they're all just standing around a motorcycle."

Maya stopped dead in her tracks. "Excuse me, what did you just say?" She knew for a fact that no one else at that school rode a motorcycle.

The two girls turned to her. "There's this crowd around someone's motorcycle." One of them said.

The other one nodded. "I think Ashley Meadows has something to do with it."

Maya's eyes narrowed and she turned to Alex. "Be right back."

She didn't give her time to answer before she set her stuff down on a nearby table and started making her way to the parking lot. Ash was playing a dangerous game going after her bike. She would pay the price if she laid one hand on it, Maya would make sure of it.

Once outside, she walked to the main parking lot and sure enough there was a crowd around the place where she parked her bike this morning. She shoved her way through the crowd and glared at Ash's smug face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ash smiled. "Nice of you to join us."

Maya clenched her fists. "Mind telling me why you and all of these people are near my bike?" Her stare fell on the people surrounding them.

Ash's face turned serious. "I told you I could make your life a living hell. You might think I can't, but for as long as I'm here, you will respect me." She swayed over to her bike. "Now for the motorcycle. You took something that belonged to me. Kyle was mine until you decided you would just move here and take him."

Maya gave her a disgusted look. "Are you a psycho or something? Kyle is a person, not an object. Last time I checked, he can make his own decisions and if it's not obvious by now, I'll spell it out for you. He. Doesn't. Want. You."

Ash flicked her hair over her shoulder. " _Everyone_ wants me. Kyle is no exception."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Okay, if you're done, can you get away from my bike?"

Ash looked at her as she turned to her bike. Maya's eyes widened as Ash used all of her might to push it over. The metal clanked against the blacktop and the crowd of people gasped. Her heart rate increased and she wanted nothing more than to beat the living hell out of her, but she did nothing. She knew that was what Ash wanted her to do. Ash wanted to get a reaction out of her, but she wasn't going to give her one. Putting on the blank look she was able to perfect over the years, she crossed her arms.

"So I'm going to guess that you're done having your bitch fit?"

Ash's brow twitched as she swayed over to her. "Don't think this is over."

She smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Ash huffed and pushed past her, her entourage not far behind. Maya turned back to the crowd and glared at them.

"Is there a reason to why you're still standing here?"

She heard multiple mumbles and then they were gone, heading back into the school. They obviously didn't get the show they were hoping for. After the last of the crowd went into the school, she walked over to her motorcycle. She had to keep her breathing under control or she would cause a storm that nobody wanted. There wasn't any major damage to her bike when she picked it back up, only a few minor scratches to the body. She had connections that could fix it, but she was still pissed. Ash had no idea what she just started. She wasn't going to back down, she didn't let people control her, not anymore.

If Ash wanted a war, she was going to get one.

.o.O.o.

When Kyle got out of his last class that day, he made his way to the parking lot. Maya texted him earlier and told him to meet her by her bike. He heard rumors about Ash pushing it over, but didn't know if it was true, but by the glare Maya was giving her for the duration of their music class, he guessed that it was true. He couldn't be sure because he didn't ask. They could have just had an argument, not that that was any better. He really hated the way Ash stuck around. It was an understatement to say he wanted nothing to do with her. Maya was all he cared about.

Speaking of her, he turned to see her walking towards him with her book bag slung on one shoulder. She was looking quite pissed. Others probably wouldn't have been able to tell, but he knew her better than most. He was familiar with masks and wasn't as easily fooled by them. She walked up to him and grabbed his hand, gripping it with an unknown strength as she pulled him past her bike.

"She _pushed_ my motorcycle over."

He looked behind him. "Is it working okay?"

She sighed. "It's fine, but she's going to find out soon enough that you don't mess with things I care about."

He raised a brow. "Again. You're not going to kill her are you?"

She smiled. "No. I'm getting even."

She continued to walk until they were in front of a familiar car. Ash's car stuck out in the parking lot. Most students were gone, but others stayed due to after school activities. He didn't have practice solely because his coach had other plans for the day. Maya stopped once they got to Ash's car, let go of his hand, and removed her book bag from her shoulder.

"If you don't want to stay for this, you can go." She said.

He shook his head and smiled. "I'm staying right here. There's no way I'm missing my girl in action."

She blushed and handed him her book bag. He held it as she removed multiple objects and turned back to the car. She let out a breath.

"So Ash is in cheer practice which gives us about two hours, but I only need fifteen minutes."

He raised a brow. "Fifteen minutes to do what exactly?"

She smiled. "You'll see."

He watched as she took a metal rod and a wooden door stopper that she got from her bag and walked to Ash's car door. She shoved the wooden wedge into the top of the door and pried it open slightly.

"Some people don't realize how easy it is to break into a car."

His eyebrows rose as she stuck the metal rod inside the small gap she made with the door stopper. He heard a click and then she was opening the door. She was probably the only person he knew that was more of a badass than him. Her being like this made it really hard for him to control his hormones. There was just something about girls and cars that drove guys crazy. For some reason he found the fact that she could break into one with such ease really attractive.

Once inside, she turned to him. "Hand me that screwdriver."

He scooped it off of the ground and handed it to her with a grin. She smiled back and took it from him. He squatted down to her level.

"So inform me." He said.

She glanced at him as she jammed the screwdriver into the keyhole. "You want to know what I'm doing?"

He nodded. "Sure, why not."

She gave the screwdriver another good jab then the steering wheel cover fell down. "I'm hot wiring her car."

He furrowed his brows. "You're stealing her car?"

Maya snorted. "No. She's just going to get a nice little surprise when she gets out of cheer practice."

"What?" He asked.

She smiled. "Let's just say, she's not going to be driving this baby home." She handed him the screwdriver and he slipped it back into her book bag. "So, first you need to find the wiring harness connector, then you'll see a bundle of wires."

He looked to see wires with various colors and instantly became lost. She must have noticed his confused look and smiled.

"Yeah, it took me months to recognize and memorize these wires." She shook her head. "Anyway, then you have to pull the whole bundle away." She pulled it away and showed him.

"I can't believe my girlfriend is teaching me how to hot wire a car."

She laughed. "Stick with me and you'll learn a lot of things."

He liked the sound of that. "Deal."

Her cheeks flushed again. "Hand me those needle-nose pliers."

He did as she said and handed them to her. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and furrowed her brows in concentration.

"You have be careful now. There's two red wires and that's most likely the battery wires on most models. You have to strip about, give or take, one inch off of the top."

She took the pliers and skillfully stripped the wires. Once she finished she turned to him. "Then you just connect them."

He watched with amazement as she connected the wires and moments later the car started up as if she just put the key in the ignition.

She smiled. "And viola, that my friend is how you hot wire a car."

He doubted he would remember all of that, but it was still worth it to hear her talk about cars like that. She just knew all of these things off the top of her head, it was mind blowing.

"So what's the plan?" He asked.

"When I looked in here earlier, her gas level was already pretty low, but she probably had enough to get home." A twisted smile appeared on her face. "Or at least she _did_." She cranked the a/c up to high and glanced down at her watch. "So she gets out of cheer practice in about two hours, the car should be drained by then. But hey, that's not my problem."

He chuckled. "Troublemaker."

She smiled and put the steering wheel cover back on. "I'm just finishing what she started." She turned to him. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

He picked her book bag up and handed it to her. She grabbed it as she got out of the car then he kicked the door closed behind her, lacing his hand in hers as he did.

"You heading to the studio?" He asked.

She shook her head. "That bimbo scratched my bike. I have to get it fixed up before Jocelyn sees."

He let go of her hand so he could put his arm over her shoulders. "Well I'm not doing anything so you want me to come with?"

She smiled. "You sure?"

He raised a brow. "Why not?"

"This is kind of like my hideaway. I don't really tell people about this place, but I would gladly show you if you want to come."

He smiled. "If it's something that's important to you then I'm in."

She looked up at him. "Okay, you can just follow me then."

He nodded and pressed his lips to the top of her head before going to his car. She walked over to her motorcycle and he watched her as she popped on her helmet and put on her leather jacket. He hopped into his car and put his key in the ignition as he heard her rev her engine. She gave him a quick thumbs up before she pulled off. He trailed behind her, curious to see where she was going. She was showing him a place that was important to her and if it meant getting to know her better, he was more than happy to go with her. He felt like they were at the point in their relationship where they could tell each other anything, show each other anything. Nothing she showed him would change the way he felt about her. He was way too crazy about her for that to happen.

After a while he became unfamiliar with his surroundings. He'd lived there all his life, but he didn't recognize anything around him. Part of him wondered how she found the place and why. But then again he didn't really go anywhere besides the places he needed to. She was more interesting than him and actually explored her surroundings.

Minutes later Maya pulled into a small lot and he followed behind, parking next to her. He got out of his car as she took off her helmet and hopped off her motorcycle. She walked over to him and smiled. He looked around to see multiple motorcycles and guys with beards standing outside. The sign on the top of the place read: _Doc's Pool Hall_.

He raised a brow. "A pool hall?"

She nodded. "Yup and don't be intimidated, these people are actually really cool."

He wasn't one that was easily intimidated or scared. It took a lot to get that kind of reaction out of him. He learned how to fight for himself a long time ago.

He chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Angel."

She smiled. "Alright. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the doors excitedly. He shook his head and smiled, appreciating how happy she was to show him this place.

 _Doc's Pool Hall_ was a dim lit space with multiple pool tables, dart boards, a bar, and a lounging area. There were plenty of people inside. Most were dressed in biker gear and looked like they wouldn't have a problem with beating the hell out of anyone who bugged them. This was definitely not a place for a normal teenage girl. But he already knew that Maya was different and was for the most part fearless. She didn't back down from things out of fear, she was brave. Being there was no exception. She walked in like she owned the place.

"Look who decided to join us." A husky voice came from behind the bar.

Maya turned to the bearded man behind the bar and smiled. "Nice to see you too Doc."

The man looked to be in his mid-forties, with a heavy build and semi-gray hair. A towel was slung over his shoulder and his hands were drumming across the bar top. Maya led Kyle over to the bar. He took a seat on one of the stools and pulled her onto his lap, she let him wrap his arms around her as she grinned. The man looked at the both of them before turning his attention back to Maya, smiling at her.

"What can I do for ya, Samurai?"

Kyle furrowed his brows at the nickname, but didn't say anything. Maya glanced around the room.

"Have you seen Bones by any chance?"

Doc nodded. "Yeah, he's back there. He bet a game with Crutch."

Kyle watched as Maya rolled her eyes. "How much did that idiot bet?"

Doc chuckled. "Fifty."

She sighed. "How many times does he have to lose for him to get the message?"

"I don't think he'll ever get the message."

Kyle heard some commotion behind him and turned to see a group of men walking over to the bar.

"Hey, is that Samurai?" One of them said.

Maya turned around and smiled. "Hey, Bones. Just the man I was looking for."

Kyle stood up bringing her with him. The guy, Bones, looked at him and lifted a finger to point it at him.

"Is this the Goldilocks you were tellin' us about?"

Maya blushed and Kyle smiled at the fact that she told them about him.

"Yeah. I want you guys to meet Kyle, my boyfriend." Her cheeks got impossibly redder and he had to bite back his laugh.

The man reached out his hand. "Nice to meet ya, Goldilocks. I'm Bones, and this is the gang." He paused. "Not a real gang, but ya know what I mean."

Kyle chuckled and shook his hand. "Got it. Nice to meet you too."

Bones turned to Maya. "It's about time you brought him here. We were starting to think he was imaginary." He grinned.

Maya flipped him off and everyone at the bar laughed, including Kyle. She grabbed his hand and turned to the five or so men standing around them. "I need your help guys."

One of them smiled. "Anything for our Samurai."

Maya smiled. "You're in a good mood Crutch, I'm going to guess that you won the bet?"

Bones scoffed. "He got lucky."

"Just like everyone who plays you." Another one said.

"Those are fighting words, Spider." Bones said.

"Guys!" Maya said, easily getting the attention of the men.

They all turned to her and Bones shook his head. "Oh yeah, what did you need?"

She looked at them. "Bike got scratched up. I need a new paint job."

Bones looked shocked. "How in the hell did that happen? You treat that thing like your child."

"This girl at school pushed it over."

Crutch shook his head. "Do we need to get Crazy Sue on her?"

Maya laughed. "No need to get Crazy Sue. I already handled it."

Kyle smiled. "By 'handling it' she means she hot wired her car."

"Damn, Samurai." Bones said.

Maya waved a hand. "Details. Details. So can you fix it before my mom finds out?"

Crutch smiled. "I think Bones should take this one."

"Why me?"

"Well for one she fixed your bike the first time she met you. So technically you owe her." Doc said.

Bones smiled. "I got you Samurai. It'll be ready this time tomorrow."

She smiled at him. "You're the best."

"Just returning the favor." He said.

Kyle watched as Maya glanced down at her watch. "Crap. I need to get home, my mom's going to kill me."

"Go ahead and get home, kid." Doc said.

She grabbed Kyle's hand and started towards the doors. "See you guys soon."

"Later, Samurai." Most of them said.

"You look after her, Goldilocks." Bones said.

He turned to him and nodded, noticing that a lot of people have been telling him that lately. "I'll do that."

Once they were out of earshot of everyone, Kyle turned to her. "Samurai?"

She smiled. "Because I lived in Japan."

He nodded, finally getting it. "That makes sense."

She looked at him. "That wasn't too bad right?"

He laughed. "Nope, not at all. It was actually kind of fun."

She smiled. "I'm glad you came."

He leaned down and placed a small kiss to her lips. "You know I'll do anything for you, Angel."

She smiled. "I know."

He smiled and pulled her towards his car. "Let's get you home, _Samurai_."

She giggled.

"Okay."

* * *

AN: More to come :)

~A


	33. Flying Away

AN: It's finally October and I am excited for it to be my birthday, but I also take the PSAT this month. So, it's a win lose situation. I'll still try to update as soon as I can. Enjoy this chapter though.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Ride by Twenty One Pilots_

 _**Helplessly by Tatiana Manaois_

 _**Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey_

 _**18th Floor Balcony by Blue October *Lyrics to 18th Floor Balcony owned by Blue October_

* * *

"So I have to ask, how in the hell did you find that place?"

Maya smiled at Kyle from the passenger seat of his car. She knew that a pool hall/bar was definitely not a place for a sixteen year old girl, but she wasn't like the people around her. She didn't hide away from places like that because it looked dangerous. Judging a book by it's cover was something she was trying not to do anymore. And of course those men looked scary as hell, but on the inside they were such great people and they immediately accepted her. It was weird to consider grown men her friends, but that's what they were. They treated her just like a member of the gang, and not a real one of course.

"Back when we moved here, I was just out riding around. Whenever we move I like to go out and see what the area is like. It just calms my mind knowing exactly where I am. Anyway, I was riding down this road when I saw Bones broke down on the side. So being the very kind person I am," Kyle chuckled and she shot him a look. "I pulled off to the side to help him and got his bike back running in a matter of minutes. He said he was on his way to the pool hall that was just down the road and that I should stop by sometime. He told me I would fit in just fine. I didn't actually go until I started dancing at the studio because Jocelyn would never really allow me to go to a bar. So let's just say she doesn't exactly know I go there, neither does Jon."

She watched as a small grin appeared on Kyle's face. "So you're saying I'm the only one you told?"

She nodded and moved some of his hair out of the way. "There's no one I trust more with the whereabouts of my hideaway."

His grin grew as he glanced over at her. "Same here, Angel."

She shook her head and smiled. "And besides, they wouldn't get off my ass about meeting you. Bones said and I quote 'I only need five minutes with him, he'll be straightened out after that. I promise you.'"

Kyle chuckled. "A little protective are they?"

She nodded. "They look out for me that's for sure. They're like fallen guardian angels or something."

He smiled. "Well I think it's a nice place you've got there."

She agreed. "The pool hall has always just been a place I could go whenever I needed to. I guess I just thought since you showed me your hideaway it would only be fair if I showed you mine and I'm glad I did."

He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Me too."

Sometimes she didn't realize how lucky she was to have Kyle in her life. After all of those months of her not being able to escape her past, constantly feeling upset , and being almost completely broken, he stayed. He accepted her, loved her, flaws and all. She felt safe and cared for whenever she was around him. The warmth that his presence gave off always calmed her and being wrapped up in his arms on some of her worst days was sometimes all she needed. He meant everything to her. She wanted him to be happy because he deserved to be. She wanted him to feel just as loved, just as cared for as he made her feel. He was such an amazing guy and he was hers. Of course she noticed the looks girls still gave him at school, but instead of feeling jealous, she felt nothing. His attention never wavered from her. It was like she was all he wanted to see. She'd never been the center of someone's world, but he made her feel that way.

His hand left hers and rested itself on her thigh. She watched as his thumb swiped across the fabric of her jeans and knew it was an innocent gesture, but she couldn't help the way her body reacted. Butterflies appeared in her stomach and her breathing accelerated without her control. It was something about him that drove her insane. She felt like a pile of mush whenever he touched her, kissed her, looked at her. When she glanced at him, she saw that his eyes were focused on the road in front of them, clueless of how much he was affecting her. She couldn't stop looking at him. His tawny hair falling over his forehead, his sharp jaw, his soft lips that she wanted nothing more than to kiss right that second. God, what the hell was he doing to her?

After a moment of trying her hardest to suppress the need to cling to him and failing miserably, she looked at the cleared road in front of them. She let out an uneven breath and closed her eyes.

"Pull over." She said.

He glanced over at her before pulling off to the side. After shutting off the car, he turned to her with a brow raised. "What's up?"

She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached across the console to grip his shoulders, bringing her lips to his. He made a surprised sound like he wasn't expecting it, but then his hands were cupping her face and he was kissing her back. The center console was biting into her side, but she didn't remove her lips from his, not for one second. He seemed to pick up on how uncomfortable her position was and his hands moved down to her waist to lift her over to his lap. She imagined that she weighed practically nothing to him. Of course doing this in the front seat of a car called for clumsiness. That hypothesis was proven to be true when she bumped her head on the roof of the car. She broke away to curse under her breath. Kyle chuckled and moved one of his hands up to the side of her head.

"You okay?" He brushed his fingers across her temple.

She nodded and smiled. "I guess that's what I get for trying to be spontaneous."

He looked at her. "But I like it when you're spontaneous."

She shook her head. "Even when I end up injuring myself?"

He nodded. "Because that gives me a reason to do this." His hand slipped to the back of her neck and he brought his lips to her temple where she hit her head. He continued to splay kisses all along her face making her laugh. He planted one kiss to her lips before pulling back to look at her again. "Does that feel better?"

She brought her hands up to his face and into his hair then smiled at him. "Very."

He chuckled and took a strand of her hair between his fingers, smiling to himself. "Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?"

Her heart fluttered, but she kept her cool. "All the time." She said.

He smiled. "Good."

They sat there for a moment and she leaned down to rest her forehead on his. He continued to play with her hair and she twirled her fingers around the hair at the nape of his neck. She didn't understand how someone could be this perfect.

He smirked. "Prom is coming up."

She nodded. "I've noticed."

He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "You're not going to make this easy are you?"

She smiled. "Make what easy?"

He took one of her hands. "Any other year I would've just blown it off because let's face it, I don't get dressed up for anything. But with you things are different and I want the first prom that I go to to be with someone special and there's no one more special to me than you."

Her eyebrows rose. "Are you asking me to prom?"

He smiled. "Yes, Angel. That's exactly what I'm asking."

She crinkled her nose, but on the inside she was screaming. "I'll think about it."

"You'll think about it." He chuckled.

She kissed his cheek. "I need to be properly convinced."

He shook his head and grinned. "I knew you wouldn't make this easy, but if you want convincing that's what you'll get." He leaned forward and placed small kisses along her jaw until he got to her ear, speaking in a low voice that he knew drove her crazy. "Game on, Angel."

She let out a breath. "Don't think you'll convince me like th—"

Her words caught in her throat when his lips wandered to the place just above her collarbone. She gasped and her hands went up to grip his hair. His hands went to her waist as he continued to leave small wet kisses along her neck. She felt like she was melting right there in his arms. He nibbled at her skin and a small moan slipped past her lips. She couldn't even remember what they were talking about. God, he was turning her mind to mush, but she didn't want him to stop. His lips felt like fire on her skin and she wanted to burn. She didn't think she could ever want anyone as much as she wanted him.

He pulled away from her with a smirk plastered on his face. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're an ass."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "And for some crazy reason, you put up with me."

She leaned down and rested her forehead on his. "You know why I do."

"I know." He smiled and looked at her. "And this wasn't what I had planned for asking you."

"Then what was your plan?" She asked.

He bopped her nose. "You're going to have to wait and see, Angel."

She pouted. "Now that's just mean."

He smiled and kissed her pouted lips, making her smile. "You'll love it. I promise."

Now she was definitely curious. "Okay. I trust you."

He smiled. "Good to know."

She guessed that they should probably get home. They were still pulled off to the side of the road. He seemed to notice the same thing. "We should probably get going."

She nodded. "Agreed."

He smiled and lifted her back up, being sure not to make her hit her head this time. She sat back down in her seat as he started the car back up, driving them back to their houses.

.o.O.o.

Maya was talking to Stephanie before they went to music class that day. Kyle had excused himself at lunch earlier and she had no idea where he was going, but she trusted him enough not to ask. Her next class was with him so she assumed she would see him.

"I can't believe that skank actually pushed over your bike." Stephanie said.

Maya nodded. "She's a freaking psycho."

Stephanie immediately agreed. "That's for sure."

Maya noticed that Ash hadn't approached her yet that day. Either Ash saw that she wasn't one to mess with, or she was taking time to plot something else and to be completely honest, but the latter sounded more like the Ash she knew. She was just really sick of the back and forth anyway, it made them both look childish. The past was the past, there was no reason for Ash to still be hanging around. It was like something in her mind let her believe Kyle was in love with her or something. She was relentless and it was kind of sad. It was her fault for not treating him how she should've. Kyle deserved to be treated like a human being, not an accessory used for bragging rights. Maya didn't feel the need to brag about being with him, what they had was something only reserved for them. The only person that needed to know the extent of how much she cared for him was him. As long as he knew how much she cared about him then everything was fine. She couldn't give two shits about what other people thought.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and Maya and Stephanie began walking towards the classroom. When they got to the music room, Maya saw that Kyle was already there. He was talking to Teddy, one of his friends in the class. Even in simple blue jeans and a white t-shirt, he still took her breath away. It was something she couldn't control, whenever he was in a room her eyes automatically found him. His eyes seemed to do the same and landed on her. He smirked and mouthed _Hey, Angel_ to her. She smiled back and gave him a small wave before taking her seat beside Stephanie. Students continued to enter the room Maya watched as Ash and her posse sauntered into the room, looking like they're too good for the world. Ash glanced at her and she figured she knew about the car, but her look didn't suggest that she had something else planned. Maybe she was just as tired of it as she was and just maybe she would finally leave her alone. But for some reason, Maya knew that it wasn't the end.

Ms. Kat filed into the room with a folder full of papers in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. Maya watched as Kyle took his seat with Teddy and turned his attention forward. She did the same and waited for the teacher to begin class.

Like always, Maya's mind drifted off. Not that the class was boring, but the things Ms. Kat talked about were things she already knew. She'd taken an advanced music class in Japan and had already acquired the underlying knowledge of music. Her eyes glanced down at Kyle, wondering what he had planned. He hadn't given her any hints. She was completely in the dark, but she was alright with that. It didn't matter how he asked her. After hearing what he had to say the day before, she had to go with him. This was his last prom and of course she wanted it to be special for him. It was one night where they could forget about everything and just have fun. They could forget that they were misfits in their own lives. Of course she used to think that prom was something not worth attending because she would never have a date and she wasn't one to conform to social norms, but things were different now.

Maya glanced at the clock to see that they only had about fifteen minutes left in class. Ms. Kat glanced down at her watch and smiled. "Alright guys, that's it for today's class." She turned to Kyle. "The floor is yours Mr. Jones."

Just like any other time Ms. Kat mentioned Kyle, the girls in the class sat up straighter and paid close attention to his movements. He was definitely an attention grabber. The way he carried himself, confident and poised, put the girls in a daze, but she was the only one who had the privilege of calling him hers. She watched, like everyone else in the room, as he picked up a guitar and removed a pick from his pocket. He put the pick between his lips as he checked the tune of the guitar. Her eyes couldn't help but land on his lips, thinking about how her own lips, her skin were pulled between those same lips just yesterday. When she looked back into his eyes, she saw that he was already looking at her. His lips tipped up at the corners as he removed the pick and adjusted the mic in front of him. He looked out at the class.

"This song is for a certain someone who has stolen my heart and continues to hold it captive." He smiled to himself.

She bit back her smile and Stephanie bumped her shoulder. "Damn girl."

Kyle started strumming and turned toward the mic as he began to sing.

 _"I close my eyes and I smile_

Knowing that everything is alright

To the core

So close that door

Is this happening?

 _My breath is on your hair_

I'm unaware

That you opened the blinds and let the city in

God, you held my hand

And we stand

 _Just taking in everything."_

His voice resembled liquid gold, making goosebumps appear along her arms.

 _"And I knew it from the start_

So my arms are open wide

Your head is on my stomach

And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep

Here we are

On this 18th floor balcony.

 _We're both flying away."_

With his next words she saw that he was telling a story, their story.

 _"So we talked about mom's and dad's_

About family pasts

Just getting to know where we came from

Our hearts were on display

For all to see

I can't believe this is happening to me

 _And I raised my hand as if to show you that I was yours_

That I was so yours for the taking

I'm so yours for the taking

That's when I felt the wind pick up

I grabbed the rail while choking up

 _These words to say and then you kissed me..."_

She bit back the tears threatening to spill. He was seriously turning her into an emotional teenage girl. She felt the need to punch something or flip someone off in order to feel like herself again. She was acting like the kind of girls she used to make fun of in movies. The ones that cried every time a guy opened up to them, but now she knew. Now she knew what those girls were feeling. It was exactly how she felt right now.

 _"And I'll try to sleep_

To keep you in my dreams

'til I can bring you home with me

I'll try to sleep

 _And when I do I'll keep you in my... dreams"_

His hands skillfully moved across the strings, making not one mistake as he did. The guitar was something he knew like the back of his hand. It was something he was passionate about. She liked how much music meant to him. He was able to transform the simplest songs into something sentimental. Even though he hadn't actually said it, she knew that with this song, he was telling her that he loved her. His eyes drifted to hers, he held her gaze and she could read everything he was saying with his eyes.

 _"I knew it from the start_

 _So my arms are open wide_

 _Your head is on my stomach_

 _And we're trying so hard not to fall asleep_

 _So here we are_

 _On this 18th floor balcony, yeah_

 _I knew it from the start_

 _My arms are open wide_

 _Your head is on my stomach_

 _No, we're not going to sleep_

 _Here we are_

 _On this 18th floor balcony... we're both.._

 _Flying away"_

The class applauded, but she could only focus on one thing.

 _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry._ She repeated to herself, but he was making it really hard. He just had to do that in front of everyone. Of course no one actually knew the extent of what the song meant except for them and when he looked back up at her, he grinned. The intensity in his stare never went away. He pulled a white rose that she hadn't noticed before out of his back pocket and most girls in the class gasped. She gaped at him and he lowered his lips to the mic, his silky voice filling the now quiet classroom.

"So, my love, will you go to prom with me?"

Maya was in a daze until Stephanie bumped her leg. She got up, ignoring the jealous glares she was getting from the girls. A stupid grin appeared on her face as she walked down the steps towards him. He stood up when she got to him and asked again with his eyes. She crinkled her nose for a moment then smiled.

"Yes."

His grin grew as he handed her the white rose. The class clapped, but she was sure the jealous girls didn't. She knew for a fact that Ash and her entourage were probably cursing her name. Her cheeks burned as he reached up to cup her face in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her lips, slow and sweet, probably not trying to get carried away in front of the class.

"You know that was cheesy as hell right?" She murmured against his lips.

He smiled. "You have no idea how cheesy I can be, Angel."

She turned serious. "That was really beautiful." She brought the white rose to her nose. "Thanks for the rose, but why white?"

He grinned. "Because it's your favorite color and I know you hate mundane things. You deserve special even if it took me two hours to find it."

"Two hours?!" She whispered yelled. "Are you crazy?" She gaped.

"Crazy about you." He said.

She laughed and stood up on her tippy toes to kiss him. He kissed her back until a noise made them break apart. Maya turned around to see Ash stalking past them, her chair now on it's side. She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Her posse ran after her. Kyle turned back to her, amusement in his eyes.

"Someone's angry." Maya's eyebrows rose.

Kyle laughed. "Jealousy is a bitch."

She agreed. "Definitely."

"So we're really doing this prom thing?"

Even if she didn't want to go, she would've gone anyway. She would do anything for him.

"I guess we are."

He kissed her lips. "Thank you."

She smiled. "Anything for you, Goldie."

He leaned down to her, resting his forehead on hers. "And even though I didn't write the song, I meant every word. I'm yours, Angel. I have been since the first day we met." He picked up her hand and put it to his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly under her palm. He looked at her. "You've had this since the day you came into my life and you'll continue to have it as long as you want it." He wiped the tear that finally decided to spill over her cheek.

She looked into his eyes. "Well if that's the case, you're never getting it back."

He smiled.

"That's what I'm hoping for, Angel."

* * *

AN: Hope you're all having an amazing day :)

~A


	34. Radiate

AN: Thanks to those who are still checking out the chapters even when I'm not updating. Even though I write this story for fun, it's nice to see that people are reading it. You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Hope (Xavier's Theme) by John Ottman (Scene 2)_

 _**As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean (Scene 2)_

* * *

After telling Alex the news that she was in fact going to prom, Maya was faced with an ear piercing scream. Her ears were still adjusting to the sudden disturbance when Alex clapped her hands.

"You have no idea how excited I am!"

Maya could guess from her tone that she was beyond excited. She had no clue what the big deal was. Prom was just a glorified dance that the populars took way too seriously, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Kyle asked her to go so she was.

"Hold on. I need another second for my ears."

Alex rolled her eyes, putting her hand on her hip. "But seriously, I'm so excited. It would suck if I couldn't go to prom with my best friend."

Having a best friend that was a girl was still something she wasn't used to. Jon had always been her best friend, everywhere they moved, and she had no idea why moving to New York made things so different. Even though her and Alex had complete opposite personalities, they stuck together. Alex was so used to girls only liking her to get to her brother, but Maya would never do that to her. Yes, her and Kyle were together, but she was friends with Alex because she truly wanted to be. It wasn't like she was out to get Kyle in the beginning, not in the least. He actually pissed her off, making her want to murder him every time he opened his mouth. Alex was the most amazing friend a person could have and Aline was definitely lucky to be able to call Alex her girlfriend. Speaking of Aline,

"Are you and Aline going together?" Maya asked.

Alex didn't hesitate, which surprised her a little. "Yup, I asked her the other day."

That made her smile. "That's amazing and I promise you that if anyone bothers you guys I will not hesitate to shove my foot up their—"

"Okay!" Alex put her hand over Maya's mouth, muffling her last word. Maya licked her palm, something she did to Jon whenever he did that. Alex squealed and retracted her hand, rubbing the palm of it on her skinny jeans. She wished she still got that reaction out of Jon, the face he made was always priceless. When she looked back to Alex, a devious smile appeared on her face as she decided to finish her sentence.

"Ass." She said.

Alex laughed. "Remind me to never do that again."

She held her hands up in surrender. "I make no promises."

Amusement filled Alex's gaze. "God, you and my brother are more alike than I thought."

A smile appeared on Maya's face. "He's rubbing off on me."

"Well you must be rubbing off on him too because he's been acting really nice lately and it's starting to freak me out."

This was a Kyle that Alex hadn't been around since they were kids. Maya knew they didn't have the best sibling bond back then, nothing like her and Jon did, but things were slowly getting better for them and that was what mattered. Kyle was still an asshole most of the time, but he was always being playful. He wasn't being that way to cover up anything anymore. He was opening up, not pretending to be someone that he wasn't.

"I think it's a good sign."

Alex agreed. "It's just been such a long time since I've seen him like this. I love my brother, but he was douchebag, he still is, but just not as much. But hey, baby steps right?"

Moving a strand of hair out of her face, Maya laughed. "If we're talking about the same Kyle, then it's definitely baby steps."

Alex giggled. "Totally." She paused. "Are you still going with Kyle to pick up your motorcycle?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Are you going home?"

Alex shook her head as a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "I'm actually hanging out with Aline."

The bell rang for the end of school and students began exiting their classrooms. Maya turned back to Alex and winked. "Well I hope you guys have _fun_."

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh my god."

Maya backed away from her. "See you later bestie." She teased.

Alex laughed before going the opposite direction. Maya moved through the mass of students to meet Kyle. He was skipping practice to take her to get her bike because, according to him, he didn't need practice because you couldn't improve on perfection. Jon couldn't take her because the idiot got detention for gladly pointing out that the teacher was wrong during a lesson. Teachers didn't like when students pointed out their mistakes, it drove them crazy.

Maya walked out onto the field, where Kyle told her to meet him. He had to talk to his coach so she leaned against the bleachers and waited for him to finish. A moment later, she saw him jogging over to her, a lazy smile on his face as he moved to stand in front of her.

"Hey, coach says I'm good to go."

She turned and started walking with him down the field towards the parking lot. "Are you sure?"

Putting his arm over her shoulders and planting a kiss to her temple, he responded. "Yes I'm sure."

She pinched his side with her fingers and smiled when he said "Ouch."

"You better not be lying to me."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not, bossy pants."

She snorted. "You know, if I didn't like you so much, I would slap you."

A smirk tugged at his lips as his hand moved to snake around her waist. His lips brushed against her ear, making her shiver. "Where?"

His mind was so in the gutter and there was no getting it out. "The face." She reassured him.

He shook his head. "I'm sure you can find a more . . . interesting spot than that. Use your imagination."

She snorted and stalked forward, making him have to trail close behind. He probably thought she took it too seriously, but in reality, she was trying to hide her burning cheeks from him. Oh she had an imagination, a very _detailed_ imagination, but she wasn't going to admit it to him. His ego was big enough, no need adding to it's size, that's if it could get any bigger. After getting her cheeks under control, she turned to him to show him he did no harm, but when she turned around she saw a group of guys behind him. She looked up at him to tell him to turn around when hands went around her waist and yanked her back. Kyle reached for her, but his arms were held back by the guys behind him. Maya gasped then she saw a figure come towards them, this one slender and curvy. Ash.

"Well. Well. Well. Look at what the cat dragged in."

.o.O.o.

Kyle looked at his ex girlfriend with pure aversion. His arms held back by two or three guys that he hadn't bothered to look at because all he could focus on was one of them. With his arms wrapped around her, pulling her hard against his body, Josh looked at him with a smug smile on his face. Maya was looking at him with wide eyes and he knew that she was just as surprised and confused by this as him, but he wasn't just confused anymore, he was freaking pissed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Kyle strained against the guys holding him back.

Ash flicked her hair over her shoulder, her face conveying no emotion. "I know it was you that did that to my car." Ash said to Maya. "And I'm just running out of things to do. I poured water on your freaking head, I pushed over your stupid bike that seems to be so important to you, but still you walk around like you're not affected by any of this. It's almost as if nothing hurts you, but after seeing you two these past couple of months, I know now that there is one thing, one person, that you don't want to see hurt." A small grin tugged at her lips as her glance drifted to where Kyle was.

Realization of what Ash had in store hit him like a ton of bricks. She was going to have her boy toys beat the hell out of him and force her to watch. He couldn't let her watch. He just couldn't.

"Let her go." He said.

Ash rolled her eyes. "Excuse me?"

Kyle gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching. "Let. Her. Go." He narrowed his eyes at Josh then turned back to Ash. "You can do whatever you want to me, but let her go."

"No!" Maya yelled, struggling in Josh's arms. "I'm not leaving you." Her voice wavered slightly and he wanted nothing more than to break free from the hold on him and beat Josh into next week, but he couldn't. No matter how much he resisted, they kept their tight grip on him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be there. All of this was his fault. Ash was his ex so this entire situation was his fault not Maya's.

Ash huffed. "Well looks like you got your wish because you're not going anywhere. You're going to sit there and watch, knowing that you can do nothing to help because that's what you are. Nothing." Kyle growled and Ash turned her attention to the guys behind him. "I want him to hurt just like he hurt me by ending things. Then I might consider going to prom with . . . one of you."

Kyle heard one of the guys shift until he was in front of him. He immediately recognized the person in front of him. He'd spent years calling him his best friend, but the guy in front of him wasn't his best friend anymore. It was someone completely different.

"Son of a bitch." Kyle spat.

Jack ignored him and turned to Ash. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Before Kyle could prepare for it, Jack's fist released itself into his stomach. He heard Maya shout something, but he couldn't register what she said as he coughed, trying to catch his breath. The grip on his arms loosened a bit, but tightened after he tried to move.

"Keep him still." Jack barked before punching him in the gut again then in his ribs. Kyle doubled over, falling to his knees. Jack moved to the side and Kyle got a full view of Maya. Her eyes were wide with fear as she watched him. He caught his breath only for a moment, enough to speak to her.

"Don't watch!" He choked out, but she didn't look away. God, why didn't she look away.

Kyle glanced over at the spot where Ash previously stood, but she was gone, leaving them to do whatever they were going to do to him. There were more hits to his stomach and some to his ribs until he couldn't breathe, gagging on the blood coming up into his throat and mouth. The pain was indescribable, but knowing that she had to watch made it a hell of a lot worse. Up until now Josh only held her back, but when Kyle glanced up at him, he saw him smirk. One of Josh's hands came up to stroke her cheek as he whispered something in her ear, Maya shuddered and tried to move away from him, but he yanked her back to him, forcing her to watch. Kyle spat out the blood in his mouth onto the grass below him and glared up at Josh, surprised that he was able to find his voice.

"Every goddamn hand you lay on her, I will return tenfold."

That earned him another shot to his ribs. Maya yelled his name or at least that's what he thought she yelled. He was still having trouble hearing over his ragged breaths.

"Stop!" Maya screamed.

He looked at her and saw a tear running down her beautiful face. She shouldn't have been there. Something shifted in her gaze, the fear in her eyes gone now, replaced with pure rage. The look in her eyes even scared him a little and it wasn't even directed at him. He watched as her eyes sparked. It might not have been noticeable to others, but he knew those eyes, he'd spent months looking at them. He shook his head slightly, not wanting her to expose herself. Her powers were a secret and he wanted her to keep it that way. They definitely didn't deserve to know about them.

Her shoulders rose and fell quickly, but the spark in her eyes was gone. Josh moved to touch her again and Kyle was about ready to explode when Maya took advantage of the situation. She slammed her foot down onto Josh's. He yelped and loosened his grip enough for her to get out. Kyle watched with pride as she gripped Josh's shoulders and brought her knee up to his groin. She did it again and again until Josh fell to the ground in a heaping ball of pain. If Kyle wasn't in this predicament, he would've kissed the hell out of her. There was no denying that she was a badass. _His_ badass.

Getting over the fact that his girlfriend was amazingly awesome, he took that chance to fight back while they were distracted. The grip on his arms had lessened enough for him to slip out of it. The three of them were all caught off guard and he forced himself onto his feet, ready for a fight. He recognized the captain of basketball team, but not the other. Jack stood back as the other two moved toward him. Even in this state he could take them. They must have knew that and made the wise decision of running off. Jack stood there, his eyes widening at the sight of his "help" running away. Kyle saw something over his shoulder and knew who it was without looking. Maya walked up behind Jack and tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around to face her and she didn't wait another second before connecting her small fist to his jaw. She must of hit the perfect spot because in an instant, Jack fell to the ground with no signs of movement. The things that girl could do. Maya stepped over Jack's body as if he were a piece of garbage and stood in front of him, concern filling her gaze.

"Are you okay?" She brought her small hands up to his face, making her look at him.

He nodded, still clutching his side. "Just peachy." He forced a smirk onto his face.

"Stop doing that. You're hurt and you know it. Come on."

She turned suddenly to his side and put his arm over her shoulder, helping him to steady himself. He walked with her in the direction they were going before all of this happened, but he stopped them just as they passed the figure still curled up on the ground gripping his junk.

"One second." Kyle led her over to Josh. He leaned over him as he spoke. "This is your first and final warning. Stay away from my girl. And if me just telling you isn't enough," He drew his foot back and sank it into Josh's side. Josh cried out in pain. "Take that into consideration."

He wanted to do more—a hell of a lot more—but he had to get Maya out of there. Josh and the rest of them could wait. Maya tugged on his arm so he followed her to the parking lot, still gripping his side with his free arm. He's been in plenty of fights, but not like that. Jack knew he would've kicked his ass if he wasn't being held back, but he didn't really care anymore. He got what was coming to him and as long as Maya wasn't hurt then he might consider sparing the rest of them, but he knew deep down inside that he wouldn't let them get away with this.

When they got to his car, she held her hand out. "Keys?"

He dug into the front pocket of his jeans to retrieve his keys then handed them to her. She opened the door and helped him into the passenger seat before going to the drivers side. He marveled at the sight of her behind the wheel of his car as she put the key in the ignition and started it up. He didn't know what it was about her and cars. She looked over at him as she drove out of the parking lot and onto the road, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. He wanted to reach over and grab one of her hands, but his body ached in ways indescribable. They were silent the entire way to his house which was only about five minutes away.

Maya got out of the car and helped him out before closing and locking the doors. He was able to stand and probably walk on his own, but knowing that she wanted to help him out was enough for him to let her. It was nice having someone care about him this much. Once inside the house she looked at him.

"Where's your first aid kit?"

He pointed. "Upstairs bathroom."

She glanced from him to the stairs probably wondering how she was going to get him up there. That was when he stood up a little straighter and walked like he actually could. She still put her arm around him and led him up the stairs and into the bathroom, leaning him against the sink while she rummaged through the cabinets for the first aid kit. He watched as she removed the red box from one of the cabinets and laid it on the sink, leaving it there in order to stand in front of him. Her eyes were still full of anger and a little concern, but mostly anger.

"Take off your shirt." She said.

He raised a brow, attempting to lessen the tension in the air. "Trying to sneak a look at the goods huh?"

Her lips tipped up at one corner, but the smile hadn't reached her eyes. "Seriously."

He huffed and removed himself from the sink to stand at his full height. That's when he realized this would be the first time she would see him without a shirt and instead of seeing the body he'd worked on having for years, she would probably see the bruises that were currently forming on his skin. _Just fucking great_. He was a little hesitant to show her, not because he was embarrassed, but because he didn't want her to see him hurting. She seemed to not like his pace and took a step closer to him, her hands moving to the hem of his shirt. "You're impossible." She shook her head and looked up at him asking permission to continue. He didn't think he could have nodded any faster.

She slowly started lifting his shirt, looking between his eyes the entire time. His breath hitched as her small fingers brushed against his abdomen and sides as she lifted the shirt at an achingly slow pace. Her touch shot jolts of electricity through him and she was only touching his sides, of all places. He raised his arms above his head and helped her remove the shirt completely. Her eyes slowly lowered until she reached his chest then his abdomen, a small gasp escaping her lips. He followed her gaze to see what caused her reaction. Once he saw, he knew exactly what it was. Across his sides were a smattering of large purple bruises.

"Jesus . . ." She whispered, trailing her small fingers along his side. The touch was so light, so delicate, that he barely felt it. He reached a hand up to her face and rested his forehead on top of her head.

"It's fine. Don't worry." He said.

She continued to trail her fingers along his skin and he wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes and hang in the moment, but then she stopped. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." Her eyes watered and he could tell she was trying to keep her tears at bay, but she didn't understand. None of this was her fault.

"It's not your fault. You don't have to apologize for any of this."

She closed her eyes and shook her head, resting her forehead carefully on his bare chest. "But I do. It's my fault for playing Ash's stupid game. I had no idea she would do something like this, but I know it was because of me." She sucked in a sharp breath. "You're hurt because of _me_."

He used his fingers to tip her head up to look at him, her gray eyes full of remorse. "There is nothing—I mean nothing—in this world that I wouldn't do for you. Angel, I would take a goddam bullet for you if that's what it took to keep you safe. So don't blame yourself."

A tear slipped over and he quickly wiped it away. "You would do that for me?" She whispered.

He planted a small kiss to her forehead. "Of course I would, but don't think about that. All you need to know is that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. No one is going to touch you." He cracked a smile. "Even though you've already proved you could hold your own pretty well. I have to say, I was quite impressed. Josh is probably never going to have children."

She grinned and this time the smile reached her eyes. "That would be doing the world a favor."

He traced her smile with the pad of him thumb. "There she is."

Her hand went up to his face then into the hair at the nape of his neck. "Are you sure you don't need to go to a hospital?"

He nodded. "I'm okay."

With her hands still on him, he felt more than okay. She looked back down at his torso.

"Well at least let me help with the bruises."

She let go of him and he watched at she moved over to the sink to turn on the faucet, running her hands under the water. He planned on asking her where she was going with this, but then her wet hands were on him and the words turned into a gush of air. She looked up at him as her eyes began to spark. God, he loved those eyes.

"This might get cold—really cold." She said.

Then he felt it. Her hands that were once only slightly cool turned into ice on his skin. He suppressed a shiver and gripped the counter. The shock of the cold didn't last long, but he didn't know what to think of what happened next. Her hands moved across him and her eyes slipped closed, then there was a light. He looked down to see that her hands were glowing. They were glowing like a Christmas tree, or better yet, like the star on top. His skin warmed without a trace of coldness and he didn't know for the life of him what was happening. A few moments later, the light dimmed and she removed her hands from him. When she opened her eyes, he saw that they were wide with shock just like his.

"What . . . What did you just do?" He asked, looking down to see only a faint remnant of the bruises there before.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I was just trying make my hands cold like an icepack to help, but then something took over me. I have no idea what the hell I just did."

"Well it's looks like you . . . healed me or something."

She looked down at her hands. "I've never done that before —holy shit." She said, looking at his torso. "There's barely anything there."

He smiled. "Another power that will definitely come in handy, especially considering how clumsy you are."

She gaped. "I am not."

He chuckled feeling a lot better than before. "Kidding." He said.

She crinkled her nose. "If only I knew how to reverse it."

His eyes widened and he grabbed her hand. "Let's not test that theory."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on."

"Where are we going now?" He asked.

"To get my bike. It's been way too long."

He chuckled and followed her. "I'm starting to think you like that thing more than me."

She winked. "You could say that."

He put on a new shirt, throwing the old one in the garbage, and walked with her down the stairs. "First Luigi, now this. What am I, chopped liver?"

She stopped them and threw her arms around his neck to kiss him. He reacted quickly by gripping her hips and pulling her flush against him. She broke away with a smile. "You're definitely number one on my list, Goldie."

He kissed her again. "That sounds better."

She snorted. "Like your ego needed any more stroking."

He bent down into her ear. "I know something else you could stroke instead."

Her cheeks flamed just like he hoped. "Jesus Christ, Goldie. You're never going to stop that are you?"

He smiled. "If it means making you blush like this every time then the answer is no."

She pinched his arm. "Pig."

His lips brushed against her shoulder. "You love it."

They walked out of the door. "I seriously want to punch you right now." She said.

He smiled, remembering how she'd punched Jack not too long ago. "And I seriously want to kiss you right now."

She took the keys from him and he let her. If she wanted to drive he was not going to protest, not one bit. She climbed in the drivers seat and looked over at him, rolling her eyes playfully. "You're insatiable."

Only she could make him that way. "Angel?" He asked.

"Yes?"

He smiled. "Thank you." His smile turned into a smirk. "Your hands are magic."

She picked up on the innuendo and slapped the back of his head before answering, laughing as she did.

"You're welcome, Goldie."

.o.O.o.

Later that night, Maya sat with Alex in her room. She'd called Alex earlier telling her to come over there because she had to talk to her without the risk of Kyle hearing. Alex, of course, took it way too seriously and bombarded her with questions. Asking if she was breaking up with him or if they were still friends, it was nonsense.

"Alex, no I am not breaking up with your brother and yes you are still my best friend. It's nothing like that."

Alex let out a breath. "Then why did you call me over here like something was wrong?"

Maya didn't think she did, but she just shrugged. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you something." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "It's about prom."

Alex's eyes immediately brightened. "Ooh, what about it?"

She'd been thinking for the past couple of hours about prom. About how important this was for Kyle and after seeing what happened today, she would literally do anything for him. She would've before that, but now she was going all out. She wanted him to have the full experience. So with that being said,

"I've been thinking and I've decided that I want your help getting ready."

Alex furrowed her brows. "I was already helping you."

Maya shook her head. "No Alex, I actually want your help." She lowered her voice. "I want you to help me find a . . ." This was harder than she thought. She pushed out the last word. "Dress."

Alex's eyes widened, stunned by her words. "Holy shit, did you just say . . ." She looked around the room. "This isn't a prank right? Ashton Kutcher isn't going to jump out of your closet or anything is he?" She shook her head. "No I know what it is. Somehow between now and when we last spoke, I've traveled into an alternate universe."

Maya laughed. "Nope. I'm one hundred percent serious."

Alex jumped up. "God really does exist! This is going to be the best prom ever." She turned to Maya. "I'm going to make you look so stunning that my brother won't be able to keep his hands off of you."

Maya choked on air. "You're going to what?"

Alex lips turned up into a devilish grin. "You know exactly what I mean. So you be ready." She clapped her hands. "Just wait until I tell Stephanie!"

What in the hell did she just get herself into?

* * *

AN: Hope you guys have a great day :)

~A


	35. Ecstasy

AN: Wow, It's been way too long hasn't it? I seriously suck, but I've been taking time off to just read and improve my writing. I literally read the entire Lux series over the course of two weeks (Can I please marry Daemon Black?). But I was surprised to see reviews that people wanted more. I love it! So this chapter is for you guys. Other than that, I was thinking about starting another story, but this time with Clary and Jace (I'll put the info. at the bottom). I will still finish this one though if that was ever an issue. I love this baby way too much than to leave it. Enjoy the fluff of this chapter, Prom will be next.

PS: There is Spanish in this chapter, the translations will be at the bottom Xx

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)

* * *

 _Chapter Songs:_

 _**Island In The Sun by Weezer (Scene 1)_

 _**Empire by Of Monsters and Men (Scene 2)_

 _**Girls Your Age by Transviolet (Scene 3)_

 _**Greek Tragedy by The Wombats (Scene 3)_

* * *

Kyle sat on the bleachers with Jon after practice that day with the sun beating down on both of them. Jon was tossing a soccer ball up into the air while Kyle laid on his back with his hands behind his head. His mind was still raking over what happened yesterday with Maya. It was obvious that he took quite a beating from Jack, but now it was almost as if it never happened. Those once harsh bruises were now only faintly noticeable. Maya was definitely a lot more powerful than he could ever imagine. She was special to him—not just because of what she could do—but because of how big her heart was. Of course she was tough, but she was also the most selfless person he had ever met. Even when she was hurting, all she worried about was others. He used to be easily bored with girls, never being able to find one that could hold his attention for longer than a couple of weeks, but there was no questioning that Maya was that girl. He could never get bored of her. Whenever she walked into a room, she got his full attention. That was even before they were together.

He longed to see her smile and there was no greater sound than to hear her laugh. Seeing that smile made him fall more and more in love with her each day. God, she had him. There was no way in hell anyone else could ever make him feel the way he does with her. It was probably a really out there, crazy thing to say, but he really couldn't imagine living a day without her. Hopefully a day like that would never have to come, because he didn't think he could handle being away from her. Even the thought made him shiver. That beautiful little vixen had him wrapped around her finger, but he didn't want to be anywhere else.

"Damn, dude."

Kyle's train of thought was interrupted by Jon's voice. He turned to see Jon chuckling to himself so he raised his brow in return. "What?"

Jon stopped laughing enough to answer. "I'm pretty sure you just sighed about three times just know. And not just any kind of sigh, like a 'I'm currently writing a love letter in my head' kind of sigh."

"You're an idiot." Kyle shook his head. "But if you must know I was thinking about my girlfriend." Which was an understatement because he was always thinking about her.

Jon grinned. "I figured much, seeing as though that shit-eating grin has been on Tenshi's face for a while now too."

Kyle would probably never get tired of hearing that Maya was just as happy as he was. He turned his head to Jon. "I just want to make her happy. That's all I'll ever want."

Jon's eyes widened. "No. Fucking. Way." He stopped tossing the ball to give Kyle an incredulous look. "You're _in love_ with my sister."

Kyle laughed, not believing that it took Jon this long to figure it out. He'd been in love with Maya since the first time she called him an ass. Jon had to have at least guessed that by now. It was written all over Kyle's face. "It's kind of hard not to be, I mean she's . . . _Maya_." He said it as if that alone explained everything—but in his mind, it did.

"Who would've thought," Jon said with a small smile. "I remember a few months back when a certain someone was horribly denying how he felt about my sister."

Kyle knew it was stupid of him to deny those feelings in the beginning. It was almost laughable how hard he tried to convince himself that he felt nothing when, in reality, he felt _everything_. Kyle chuckled as he sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "And now I'm crazy about her."

"I think you've always been. Even if you didn't know what it meant back then."

Kyle looked out at the field, but he wasn't seeing the field. He was seeing Maya and everything they've gone through. The first time she knocked into him and told him off, that night at the lake that changed everything between them, their first kiss together, the day she stayed with him when he broke down because of his parents, her telling him about her parents, and the one day that he could never forget—the day he confessed that he loved her and hearing her say it back. There was no way in hell he would forget any of those things. Those memories would always nullify the bad ones. He's changed because of her, but a good change. He felt like this was the way he was meant to be. This was the kind of guy that Imogen wanted him to grow up to be. And he was glad that it was Maya that did the influencing.

"You know me too well, dude."

Jon chuckled. "I have to say that I saw this day coming from a mile away. From the moment I saw you two together I knew it. I've always told you I saw the way you looked at her, but what you probably didn't notice was that she was looking at you too."

Kyle couldn't help but grin. "So you knew this entire time?"

Jon nodded. "I'm a smart guy. And it was quite amusing seeing you run around like a crazy person because of your idiotic stalling."

"It wasn't my intention to stall, but I did and I will probably always regret that, but it made me realize who my real friends were and who I could really trust." Kyle pointed out.

"Yeah, it did." Jon tossed the ball back up in the air before pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the time. "It's almost four o'clock. Tenshi should be home soon."

Kyle hopped up and nodded. "She's supposed to be doing something with Alex today. I might be able to squeeze in a couple minutes with her before my sister gets ahold of her."

Jon stood up too, tucking the soccer ball into his side. "So I guess that means you want to get home so you can get a quick make out session with my sister."

Kyle chuckled. "Well if you put it that way..."

Jon bumped his shoulder, almost making him lose his balance on the bleachers. "I don't even want to know." He shivered, "I'm still in need of therapy from the last time."

"You brought it up." He punched him in the shoulder, "There's no need for me to deny the obvious."

Jon rolled his eyes. "You're so lucky I know you love her."

Kyle bit back a grin. "I know."

.o.O.o.

"Pants on Fire!" Patch sang as Maya walked over to the group. She smiled at the sight of him and Elliot holding hands. No matter how many times she saw them together, she would always get that giddy feeling. It was just way too cute.

"Hey, Eye Patch." She turned to Olivia and Elliot, "Hey guys."

Elliot looked as though he were holding back a laugh. "How's it going, Chicken Nugget?"

Olivia actually laughed. "Yeah. How's it going, _Chicken Nugget_?" She said, mimicking Elliot.

Maya both loved and hated the nicknames, but she loved those three so she dealt with the names. "I'm great." _Other than the fact that I had to watch my boyfriend get the shit beaten out if him_ she added in her head. She was still pissed off about that, but Kyle was okay. If he was okay then she was okay. Although, if Ash ever tried to do anything like that again, Maya would not hesitate to rip her ass out through her mouth like she promised all those months ago. She wasn't going to play Ash's game anymore, if anything, she would end it.

"Hey, when do you guys have prom?" Maya asked them.

Olivia shrugged. "Next week for me."

Patch looked at Elliot, obviously not knowing. Elliot rolled his eyes and Maya bit back a smile at their silent banter. "Ours is in two weeks."

"We should all go together. Mine is tomorrow." Maya suggested.

The three of them looked at each other and Maya silently hoped that they came, because it would be a lot more fun with actual dancers. They seemed to agree on something and Patch answered for all of them, being the leader he is. "Sure. I've got a tux ready to go. We'll show your school some real moves because from what I've seen . . ." He didn't elaborate and Maya narrowed her eyes at him.

"I go to that school, you know."

His eyes widened. "I—uh—I meant besides you of course. You're top notch Pants on Fire."

Maya smiled innocently. "That's what I assumed."

"Jesus Christ, you're scary." Patch let out a breath. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Elliot laughed and Maya looked down to see him playing with Patch's fingers. It made her miss Kyle. Playing with her fingers seemed to be a habit of his. He told her it helped him think when he was touching her. Whether it was playing with her fingers, running his fingers through her curls, or softly caressing her face, there was always some kind of physical contact when they spoke. She never complained because she liked it just as much as he did. Sometimes she needed the physical contact to believe that he was really there. Not to sound cheesy, but a guy like him was sometimes too good to be true. Of course she knew he was one hundred percent real with her. She saw it in the way he looked at her and she was pretty sure she had that same stupid love-struck look on her face too. They had something, there was no denying that.

"What time does it start?" Olivia asked.

Maya cleared her throat, snapping back into focus. "Eight."

"Can I bring my friend, Marcus?" She asked.

"Wait—Just wait a minute." Patch looked at his friend, "Who the hell is this Marcus, and why am I just hearing about him?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's because we're only friends, nothing serious."

Maya remembered using that excuse with Kyle and look where that got her. The thought made her laugh because the look on Liv's face, without a doubt, hinted at more. Yeah, she wasn't going to last long. "Yeah you can definitely bring him."

Olivia glanced at Patch before grinning. "Great."

Patch didn't look convinced and pointed at Olivia. "I'll keep my eye on this 'Marcus' because there is no way my best friend is going to date someone that I don't approve of."

It was sweet to see Patch act all big brother, but that just seemed to annoy Olivia. "For the last time we're not dating, _just_ friends."

"That's how it always starts, doesn't it." Elliot began, "One minute you're just friends, then you're walking down the aisle together."

Maya giggled as Olivia put her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated sound. "You guys are ridiculous."

Maya stopped laughing and pried Olivia's hands off of her face. "It's okay, Liv." Maya turned to glare at Patch, "I'll keep this idiot away from you and Marcus."

Patch waved a dismissive hand. "Pfft. You'll be too busy with Golden Boy to notice."

Okay he had her there, but she would try her hardest to tear her attention away from Kyle long enough to check up on him if that's what it took. It wouldn't be easy, but these were the things friends did for each other. They sacrificed looking at the most beautiful, handsome, chiseled face from the heavens in order to help each other out. Wow, this would be a lot harder than she thought. Kyle was seriously breaking her tough guy imagine, but despite everything, she actually liked how she was with him. They both had sides of themselves that they only reserved for the other. Of course she was still badass, nobody would change that—and if they tried, she would kick their ass.

"No I won't." That didn't even sound convincing to her own ears.

Elliot seemed to take pity on her and Olivia saying, "Don't worry. I'll have him under control." He turned to Patch and gave him a look that broke his big brother demeanor.

"Dammit."

Elliot turned back to them, smiling with satisfaction. Maya loved the power Elliot had over him. It was mostly likely something only he could do. Even if Patch didn't want to admit it, Elliot was his weakness.

"Well looks like we've got plans to make." Maya said happily.

"Got that right, Pants on Fire."

Olivia clapped her hands "This prom is going to rock."

"Yeah, but only once we get there." Patch said.

"Shut up." The three of them said at once.

Patch put his hand to his heart. "Oh, how you wound me."

Maya snorted.

"Idiot."

.o.O.o.

Maya pulled into her driveway with her motorcycle, humming the tune of the song they used for the dance routine today. She and Patch, being the phenomenal dancers they were, picked up on the routine rather quickly. Of course neither of them had problems with helping Olivia out. She was an amazing dancer, one of the best Maya had ever seen, she just needed some extra practice on new routines.

Maya was happy to hear that they would be coming to prom with her, but groaned when she remembered that Alex was taking her shopping with Stephanie. Apparently the two of them already picked out her dress, but they had to go pick it up from the mall. Maya wanted to see what she was working with, but Alex didn't give her any hints. Maya tried to get answers from Stephanie, but she was like a brick wall, no matter how much she whined. She had no idea what those two were up to, but she had no interest in dabbling with their nefarious activities. If they wanted to keep her in the dark, there was nothing she could do about it. Her options were just too limited. If only she had an inside man.

Maya removed her helmet and was met with the most fascinating sight. Kyle was sitting on her front porch, leaning back on his elbows with his legs resting on the steps below. Even when he wasn't saying anything, anyone that looked at him would probably be able to pick up on his arrogant vibe. He looked casual, like he didn't have a care in the world. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his perfect lips at the sight of her. She knew it was the bike that made him like that, but she knew that wasn't the entire reason behind the look. He looked to be freshly showered, rocking a gray t-shirt and black jeans. To anyone else, he'd look like the bad boy from next door that you couldn't bring home to mom. But if people knew him like she did, they would know that under all that toughness, was the sweetest, most considerate guy you would ever meet.

Maya slid off of her bike with ease, pulling her leather jacket tighter to her. Even though her favorite color was white, she found that she wore a lot of black. She guessed it was the biker in her that just called for black. Like now, she wasn't wearing a touch of color, but hey this was her. Kyle definitely wasn't complaining as his eyes raked over her. Her book-bag hung off one of her shoulders as she trudged up to him, her combat boots smacking the pavement with each step. He didn't sit up or move at all when she got to him, he just . . . looked at her. Kyle looking at her still made her nervous, but she wasn't going to help inflate his ego by telling him that.

The sun shone on his face, making his tan features look golden. His hair was still damp, most likely from his shower. He looked good—okay he looked hot, she would give him that. Maya walked up the stairs until her feet were on either side of his legs. This was one of those rare moments that she had the privilege of looking down at him. She'd gotten used to craning her neck to look at him by now, but it was nice having the roles reversed. Speaking of that . . .

"I could get used to this," Kyle grinned and reached out to finger one of her shoelaces, brushing her leg in the process and grinning when she shivered. He looked up at her and bit his lip, finishing his train of thought. "Seeing you above me, I mean. It's a nice look."

Her cheeks flamed. He was getting more and more comfortable with the use of innuendos. It was crazy how he could get a reaction out of her every time. Whether it be the butterflies in her stomach, the red cheeks, or the shivers, he always got a reaction. Maybe that was the reason behind his teasing. It was to watch her suffer. Kyle chuckled, obviously enjoying her internal conflict. She narrowed her eyes at him, but her stern look immediately faltered as he sat up and grabbed both of her hands. "Asshole." She muttered. He smirked as if to say _'that's me'_ andplaced a kiss to the back of both of her hands.

Maya assumed he would stop there, but then she felt his lips on the center of her open palm, then the sensitive part on her wrist. He tugged on her jacket and her book-bag fell to the ground, her jacket following in its path. His lips continued to trail a path up her forearm to the inside of her elbow, slowly up to her shoulder, across her collar bone, and achingly slow up her neck. Maya sucked in a sharp breath when he nipped at her ear. She had no idea why the hell they were doing this on her front porch where anyone could see, but she was so lost in the way his lips felt on her skin that she didn't register anything else.

Kyle placed tantalizing kiss after tantalizing kiss along her jaw until he reached her lips. Maya couldn't remember when he stood up, but when she opened her eyes, she had to look up in order to see his face. She gasped at the look in his eyes. His pupils were dilated to where they almost looked brown instead of hazel green, but past that she saw all the love and adoration he felt for her. It was there, written all over his beautiful face. She wondered if she looked the same, she hoped he saw what she felt on the inside. If how she felt wasn't clear, she would show him—right now. There must have been a look in her eyes at that moment because Kyle's breathing accelerated in that instant, soon matching her own quick breaths.

Maya didn't know how long they stood there just looking at each other before Kyle's hands followed the same path his lips did until they were cupping her cheeks. She always felt so small, so delicate in his hands. He held her as if he were worried she would break into a million tiny pieces if he wasn't careful. His lips brushed hers and she realized she still hadn't gotten him back for teasing her earlier. She knew his weakness. She could break him down with just one sentence—and she would. Kyle pulled back for a moment, raising a brow. She removed his hands from her face and laced them with hers. His gaze dropped to their hands then went back to her. "What . . .?"

Maya let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing her lips against his before she spoke in a low whisper. "Usted disfruta de hacerme bromas, pero poco sabía usted que tengo mis propias formas de burlas usted." Kyle's eyes got impossibly darker as he stared down at her. Maya knew she had him then and she wasn't going to stop. Her lips trailed up to his ear and she heard his breath hitch as her lips brushed his skin. "Dime, Goldie. ¿Es simplemente el idioma que te gusta o la forma en que sale de la lengua?"

Kyle leaned down and buried his head in the crook of her neck, wrapping his arms around her. His grip was firm, but not tight. "Angel?" His voice was at least one octave higher. _Ding. Ding. Ding._ Mayasmiled against his ear and let him pull her against him. He was holding back. She had to say, he was keeping a good hold on his self control, but she wanted it gone. She wanted to feel the passion he felt, she didn't want him to hold back a single thing. So she said it all—everything that she felt at that moment, knowing that he didn't understand a single word. Her lips returned to his, just touching them in order for him to feel each word she spoke.

"Estoy golpeando un nervio no? Bueno, porque yo no quiero que seas la calma y dulce ahora. Quiero pasión, al igual que la primera vez que nuestros labios se encontraron. Por favor, Goldie. Eso es todo lo que quiero." Maya knew her voice sounded desperate, but that's what she wanted. He needed to hear that desperation in her voice so he knew how to react.

Kyle's grip tightened around her. "I don't know what you're saying, but I really, _really_ want to kiss you." He mumbled on her lips.

Maya had noticed that Jon's car wasn't in the driveway when she got there. The house was empty. She let out a breath. "Goldie?"

He reached up to run his fingers through her hair. "Yes, Angel?"

"Take me inside." She said.

His eyes widened. "Take . . . Take you inside?"

Maya shook her head. She was definitely giving him the wrong impression. "Not like _that_." She unwrapped one of her hands from around his neck and ran the pad of her thumb across his lips and grinned when he planted a kiss to her finger. "I just want to kiss you, but not out here."

That same hunger returned in his eyes as he leaned down to place a small kiss to her lips. She returned the kiss and soon their lips were locked together in a vigorous kiss that stole the air from her lungs. Kyle's hand fumbled around her hip until she heard the jingle of her keys. He removed them from her belt loops and backed up, bringing her with him. He broke away for a moment. "Which—"

"The blue one." She said quickly, then her lips were back on his.

Kyle smiled on her lips and shoved the door open, almost falling over the threshold in the process. She broke away long enough to laugh and watched as a look of awe crossed his features. He leaned back down to her, kissing her again. "You have no idea how much I love hearing you laugh."

Maya grinned. "Show me."

One moment she was standing and the next she was swooped up into a pair of strong arms. She made a sound of surprise as Kyle chuckled and began walking up the stairs with her arms wrapped around his neck. He put all of her weight onto one arm in order to open the door to her bedroom and quickly nudged the door closed behind him after stepping in. Moments later, she felt the softness of her bed press into her back as he set her down. Kyle wasn't far behind, trailing multiple kisses along her neck. Maya's fingers wrapped around the chain hanging from his neck and tugged, bringing his lips back up to hers. His hands stayed on her hips as he kissed her. And God the kiss . . . the kiss was _everything_. He kissed her like he was quenching a thirst. This was exactly the kind of kiss she needed. She just needed him.

Her fingers moved into his hair as she subconsciously twirled the strands around her fingers. She tugged on the strands and, as if he knew exactly what that meant, he parted her lips with his. He knew her so well, it was mind-blowing. They were at the point in their relationship where they didn't need words to know what the other wanted. Only Kyle had the privilege of knowing her this way. Her hands left his hair and trailed down to his shoulders, where she pulled him harder down onto her. One of his hands left her waist and splayed on the bed next to her head, holding himself up. Maya made a frustrated noise that sounded more like a whimper to her own ears. She heard Kyle chuckle then he pulled away.

"Angel." He said, amused. "I'm trying not to crush you."

She smirked, something that she picked up from him over the past couple of months. "If you don't come here, I swear to God I will forgo English for the entire week."

His eyes widened. "You wouldn't . . ."

Maya pulled him back down to her and kissed him before speaking. "Yo no sería tan rápido para negarlo, Gold—"

Then Kyle's lips were back on hers. She felt him flush against her and tried her best not to smile. His arms wrapped around her again as he splayed kisses along her jaw before meeting her lips again. "You're going to be the death of me, Angel."

It was strange knowing how much she affected him. Maya used to think she wouldn't really amount to anything, but from the way Kyle looked at her, she felt like she was everything. He was definitely everything to her. She didn't know how long they laid there, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it, but after a while, Kyle slowed down the kiss to just a few pecks here and there. Maya rested one of her hands on his cheek. "Okay, now you're crushing me."

"I figured as much." Kyle laughed and pushed himself off of her. He laid on his back and pulled her into his side. Maya looked up at him to see his mused hair, swollen lips, and darkened eyes. A small grin tugged at her lips at the sight of him like that and knowing that she was the cause.

Kyle raised a brow. "What?" His voice was breathy, just like hers.

Maya ran her thumb across his lips. "Your lips are swollen."

"So are yours." He smirked.

She lifted her hand to her lips—and sure enough—they were swollen. "Alex is going to have a field day with this." Maya felt a rumble in Kyle's chest and realized that he was laughing. She buried her head into his chest as her cheeks flamed. "Why are you laughing? This is your fault."

"You brought this on yourself, Angel." Kyle kissed the top of her head. "You know I can't resist you when you talk like that—actually I can't resist you in general, but the Spanish just makes it worse."

Maya laughed. "I could've been telling you how much of an ass I think you are."

He shook his head. "But I know you weren't. Your eyes said it all."

"Because you know my eyes _so_ well." She said sarcastically.

Kyle swiped his thumb under her eye. "I know _everything_ about these beautiful gray orbs."

"Hmm." Maya raised her hand to one of his eyes. "Seems fair, considering I know _everything_ about these." She said, looking between both of his eyes.

He took one of her hands in his. "So, where is my sister hauling you off to?"

Maya shook her head. "Alex made me promise not to tell you."

"Sworn to secrecy." He grimaced. "That hurts. Right here." His hand gripped his heart.

Maya rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't. You'll find out tomorrow though—apparently so will I." She mumbled the last part, then remembered about what she talked about at the studio. "Oh yeah, I invited some people from the studio."

"Who?"

She moved to tuck her hair behind her ear and realized Kyle was still holding her hand. As if he read her mind, his free hand moved to tuck the strands behind her ear. She froze for a moment when his fingers brushed her collar bone. "Um . . . Patch, Elliot, Olivia, and her friend Marcus."

He was silent for a moment then, "So, tell me more about this here Patch. I'm not sure I got a good vibe from him last time, with him giving you nicknames and such."

There was something in his tone. It took her a minute to figure it out, but when she did, she laughed. And not a small giggle, she full on laughed, sitting up in the process. Kyle furrowed his brows and she turned back to him, holding her stomach. "Are . . . Are you _jealous_ of Patch?"

He sat up too, resting his back on her headboard. "First of all, I don't get jealous. Second of all, it is my God given right as your boyfriend to know if a guy is trying to make a move on my girl."

As much as she loved hearing him call her his girl, she had to squash this jealousy thing quickly. Maya moved to kneel in front of him, her legs between both of his. Her hands went to his face as she grinned. "Kyle, look at me." He did, and she rested her forehead on his. "Patch is gay."

Kyle's brows furrowed. "You're telling me, I was jeal—suspicious—of a guy that's not even interested in chicks."

Maya pulled back to look at him. "What made you suspicious of him?"

He diverted his gaze for a moment. "Couple months ago. I didn't like how 'buddy-buddy' you two were. It was pretty hard to watch him make you smile like that."

She gave him an incredulous look. "We weren't even together then."

He shook his head. "I've always felt something for you. Even if I didn't know what it meant back then, I felt it."

Maya smiled at that little confession. "You are way too cheesy for your own good." Her hands slid to his hair. "Past you would be so disappointed with current you."

Kyle chuckled. "Past me was lucky to fall for you and current me feels just as lucky to have you."

"Christ, Goldie. Just add more cheese to that cheese pizza why don't you." She moved to straddle his legs.

He gripped her hips. "Oh, I will."

Maya laughed and leaned in to kiss him, but before she could, her phone started blaring in her pocket. She knew exactly who it was before she answered it. Kyle seemed to pick up on who it was and let his head fall back against her headboard. Maya rolled her eyes and dug her phone out to answer it.

"Hey, Alex."

" _Hey! So, me and Stephanie will be there in like . . . five minutes. Be ready_!"

Maya sighed. "Okay, but can you at least tell me—"

" _Nope! Bye!_ " Then she hung up.

Maya groaned and put her phone away. "Damn it."

Kyle chuckled. "How bad is it?"

"You have no idea." She said, hopping off of him and onto the floor.

Kyle followed suit and stood, reaching out to fix her hair. There was no way of telling what it looked like. She quickly put it up into a knot, laughing at his pout. For some reason, he seemed to like her hair as much as she liked his. And of course his looked perfect as usual. He tucked the silver chain of his necklace back into his shirt and took her hand. His hand practically swallowed hers, but it was a perfect fit.

Maya laughed at the sight of her keys that were just disregarded at the bottom of the stairs. Kyle scooped them up and clipped them back on one of her belt loops. "Sorry about that." He said, his voice dripping with amusement.

"No you're not."

He shook his head. "You're right, I'm not."

And neither was she. "So, I'll see you tomorrow night?"

He sighed dramatically and she was met with a weird sense of deja vu. "Well seeing as though you're my date, we kind of have no choice."

Bingo.

She laughed. "Throwing my words back at me now are we."

He nodded. "Yeah. Your smartassyness is rubbing off on me."

Maya punched his arm. "And your douchebaggeryness is rubbing off on me."

Kyle took her hand again. "Which is all the more reason why we were meant to be."

She opened the door and stepped outside. "Oh no, I need to get out of here. This pizza is getting way too cheesy."

He picked her up from behind and twirled her around, making her squeal. "You love it." He murmured.

She turned toward the driveway to see Alex pulling up then turned back to Kyle. "You're right. I do." She stood on her tippy toes to give him one last kiss before picking up her jacket and book-bag where she dropped them earlier. "Hasta luego, Goldie."

He smirked and pulled her back in for another kiss that would definitely get her in trouble if Alex was watching. "Bye, Angel." He let her go after that, making her mind fuzzy as she walked away.

The things that boy did to her.

* * *

AN: So, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I pinky promise that I won't wait another month to update again, but if I do, I give you guys full permission to give me hell. Also I'm thinking about changing the rating of this story to M because Kyle and Maya seem to not be able to keep their hands to themselves, but hey the story goes where the story goes. Just a little heads up. Anyway, here are the translations and the summary for a possible new story.

Translations:

**Usted disfruta de hacerme bromas, pero poco sabía usted que tengo mis propias formas de burlas usted.: You enjoy teasing me, but little did you know I have my own ways of teasing you.**

**Dime, Goldie. ¿Es simplemente el idioma que te gusta o la forma en que sale de la lengua?: Tell me, Goldie. Is it simply the language that you like or the way it rolls off the tongue?**

**Estoy golpeando un nervio no? Bueno, porque yo no quiero que seas la calma y dulce ahora. Quiero pasión, al igual que la primera vez que nuestros labios se encontraron. Por favor, Goldie. Eso es todo lo que quiero. : I'm hitting a nerve aren't I? Good, because I don't want you to be calm and sweet right now. I want passion, just like the first time our lips met. Please, Goldie. That's all I want.**

**Yo no sería tan rápido para negarlo, Gold— : I wouldn't be so quick to deny it, Gold—**

*Summary: Clary Fray is a sixteen year old Agent that has just graduated the Academy at the top of her class. Her first task: The Herondales. Someone is after them and it is Clary's job to keep them safe. The task seems simple enough, it's what she was trained to do. But what will happen when she meets their arrogant son, Jace? It's kind of hard to protect someone that you want nothing more than to kill yourself. Jace Herondale is a seventeen year old senior in high school, the captain of the football team, and the boyfriend of the hottest girl in school. But he's just learned that someone is out to get him and his parents. His world is soon turned upside down when a certain redhead is throw into his life to protect him. Will he fall for the redhead? Will they be able to protect his family?*

Have a great day guys, let me know what you think.

~A


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